


There's a Horror in My Head

by xxoceanswavesxx



Series: The One to Make It Stay [8]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Chloe and Lila are frenemies, F/M, Kitty Section, Kitty Section is thriving, Light Adrien salt, Lila salt, Multi, alya and felix have a slight rivalry thing, background characters/extras get slightly bigger roles, i promise his salt won't be as bad as earlier arcs, ml s3 salt, ml salt, ml salt au, ml salt fic, new peacock wielder, the one to make it stay, warning that the first chapter has implied past harassment, what sort is amibigious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:54:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 34,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24293944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxoceanswavesxx/pseuds/xxoceanswavesxx
Summary: From blooming romances and summer adventures, to troubling partnerships and enemies gaining victories, Marinette's been through it all in the past half year. And now, it all leads to this...The final arc of "The One to Make It Stay".
Relationships: Alya Césaire & Kagami Tsurugi, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois & Lila Rossi, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Kagami Tsurugi
Series: The One to Make It Stay [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1404121
Comments: 149
Kudos: 348





	1. Stop Wasting Your Whole Life

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: there is mentioned past harassment, but what sort is left ambiguous.

_“Summertime. You got old, now don't die. I'm leaving tonight, I'm leaving tonight, instead of wasting your whole life, messed up and down.” - Stop Wasting Your Whole Life/Messed Up and Down by Starflyer 59_

_\--_

Following her last use of Duusu’s miraculous, Nathalie completely recovered from her illness, and was in far better health. It took the rest of the summer in order for her to do so, and Gabriel even took some time off from his schemes to keep an eye on her. Thankfully, he wasn’t fretting over her at every given moment, but he still refused to allow her to use the cat miraculous for the time being. It was safer with them for now, and Nathalie would only employ it when Gabriel had absolute need for it.

“Now that we’ve secured one of the miraculouses,” Gabriel says, “I think it’s time to secure ourselves a new holder for Duusu.”

Duusu lets out a yawn at this. “Geez, treating me like the unwanted stepchild is going to backfire on you one of these days.”

Nathalie regards the kwami with ire, but says nothing. If Duusu wasn’t going to show the proper respect to her master, then Nathalie didn’t have to waste her breath trying to lecture her. She would be gone soon enough. 

“Yes, I have the perfect candidate in mind. With her utter contempt of Ladybug, and now her attempts to help my akumas, Miss Lila Rossi will be the perfect pawn in my scheme,” he says, looking down at Duusu. The kwami only looks at him with a wide yawn, before settling down on his desk, fiddling with his pens. 

“But sir, aren’t you at least concerned as to what Lila Rossi might do with the miraculous?” Nathalie asks, “Suppose she attempts to betray us?”

“I’m not the least bit worried about that brat’s scheming,” he sighs, “We know that using that miraculous in excess will cause the health of its user to deteriorate. If she thinks she’ll be able to use it to take everything away from us, she’ll quickly learn who’s running things around here. Now, I have a plan to get it to her while drawing little suspicion to us.”

Thus, their cover story was formed. A mysterious, upcoming benefactor participating in the Tsurugi Textile Fashion Show asked for help in sending out a special pendant, one that would go to a special girl. His hope was that upon the public seeing the pendant, that they would all see it and want it for themselves, and get people to pay attention to what he had to offer at the show. He was a student of the infamous Gabriel Agreste himself, so of course, anyone would want to get their hands on it. 

He chose to send it to the boutique ran by Darcey Reil, of whom he shared a close business relationship. Her store was generally one of the first to display his more casual, everyday items before they were released in shopping centers and whatnot.

Darcey had a daughter named Fleur who went to the same school as Lila, her boutique was pretty close to Le Grand Paris, and Lila had already been to that particular store once when bargaining with Friend Zone for her freedom, and needed to take sanctuary. So Darcey already knew who Lila was. However, neither herself nor Gabriel knew if Lila shared a close relationship with Fleur, but Gabriel was certain that Darcey could persuade her daughter to bring Lila over somehow.

_This plan seems dependent on too many variables. Hopefully, she listens and doesn’t end up just giving the pendant to her daughter._

“Ms. Reil, hello,” Nathalie greets, “I have a favor to ask of you.”

She explains the plan while leaving out the unnecessary details. All that’s left is to persuade her to give it to their intended target.

“Actually, there is someone we are considering. She seems to be something of a trendsetter, if the rumors are correct. Her name is Lila Rossi? She went into your shop the other day during an akuma attack. We were hoping to establish contact with her and her family, but our sponsor has some rather… _eccentric_ ideas for doing that.”

“Will there be a way for her to know about all of this?” Darcey asks. 

“Yes, there will be a message inside the box for her to read and decide if she would like to meet with us. I think it’s important to understand that only Lila Rossi is the one to open the box. Furthermore, you ought to act as though you are giving her the gift spontaneously and without any further intention. Treat it like a spur of the moment gift-giving.”

“That’s… a rather odd request.”

“We’d be more than willing to compensate you for helping with our strange request,” she continues, “In fact, we have two VIP passes available for the Tsurugi Textile show.”

“Well, it _would_ be nice to see this new designer in person… alright, I’ll help you out. I just need to give the pendant to Lila in a subtle way?”

“Of course. When I enter, I’ll give a cover story so no one is the wiser.”

She hangs up the phone, and can’t help but smile at Gabriel’s triumphant expression. While she wasn’t fond of the idea of giving someone else the brooch, leading them to a miserable fate, she knew exactly the sort of person Lila Rossi was. When Adrien’s cousin, Felix, came over for dinner one night, Adrien spoke of her with unintended, but absolute misery in his voice. Gabriel didn’t seem to notice, but Nathalie did the math. She knew what it was like to have someone like that, someone that made you feel small and compliant as they overtook you. And she knew how someone would express that misery, especially as it would go ignored by those they were supposed to trust.

_No, I won’t be that girl again. This is for the high school me, the one that never got a chance for revenge._

She couldn’t afford to move or speak against Gabriel. She was in too deep. But this plan was a personal victory for her, if they executed it well. 

“Excellent. Our plan is well in motion. All that’s left is to deliver the brooch.”

She leaves immediately, making sure to wear both sunglasses and a nice hat to cover the top of her head. Her hair is still visible from the front, but it’s still pulled back into its bun. She changes out of her work clothes into a proto-type of one of Clara Nightingale’s stage outfits. As ridiculous as she feels, she’s content to leave and get this errand done and over with.

Ten minutes later, she’s over at the shop, and who should be there than Lila Rossi herself? _Although, shouldn’t she be back in class by now? According to Adrien’s schedule, their lunch hour is over by now_. Still, it wasn’t her business to care about what Lila Rossi did, unless they needed blackmail. Certainly, the girl had some cover story at play to get her off the hook.

  
 _I hope your cover stories are good, Lila Rossi. Because if you’re going to wield this miraculous and help us win this game, they’re going to need to be brilliant_.


	2. You Will Never Be the Cure

_ “I’ve given you every part of me. Tried everything I could to make you see. But you don’t love yourself. You can’t love me or anyone else.” - Cure by Darling Violetta _

\--

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful blue bird. She and her friends lived in the mountains of Tibet and granted special powers to humans known as Guardians.

The bird had a vibrant personality, loving all of her friends and holders equally. Though times of crisis were always around the corner, the bird never fretted. After all, she currently lived in a time of peace. Tentative peace, but peace nonetheless.

Though she and her friends spent the majority of their days training, their evenings were filled with joy and merriment. Whether it was parties inside of their havens, enjoying the open air of the training grounds at night, or stargazing and making wishes until sleep overcame them, there was always a good time to be had.

Until a holder betrayed them.

Her holder, while skilled with using her power, was still young and not fully trained. So while he managed to put up a good fight, it ended with her being swiped and her miraculous cracked.

Upon impact, her entire body felt like it was on fire, with the flame being one that would persist forever and never be allowed to be put out. That pain only went away after the first time the enemy transformed with her, and instead,  _ he  _ was the one falling into a never ending illness after repeated uses of her power.  _ Those who do evil will have evil done to them _ , she assured herself.

This opened up the perfect opportunity for both her and her friend, the butterfly, to be reclaimed by the Guardians. Except they never came. Instead, a bunch of lowly thieves waited for the perfect opportunity to snatch the two of them from their weakened enemy, and sell them on the market.

While they were sold as a set, the bird never got to see the butterfly. It had been years since she last saw her other friends, and she grew very lonely and very sad. 

Quite some time passed before her box was opened again. Greeting her was a blonde woman with a serene beauty to her. Her name was Emilie, and she was surprised to see the bird inside the box. As she does with all her owners, the bird explained her powers and the drawback of using them too much. 

This didn’t bother Emilie. She only intended to use the power to steal back what was rightfully hers; the Graham de Vanily rings, so that she and her fiance could use them for their wedding. The bird was content to help, and though Emilie fell sick shortly after retrieving them, she was happy, and allowed the bird to go back to sleep. The bird thought that was the end.

But Emilie continued to use her power. Sometimes, years passed before the bird was allowed out again. During that passage of time, Emilie had finally married and given birth to a baby boy. She had a life anyone could have dreamed of, and yet she still was not happy. And so she used the bird’s power here and there to make things go her way. Whether it be swaying an important business decision or keeping her precious baby boy in line, Emilie had means of creating the perfect ally to persuade people to her side.

The bird felt used. Emilie wouldn’t even ask about her well-being, if  _ she  _ had a family or friends she longed to see, or even if she had a favorite fruit to eat. The bird was useful for one thing and one thing only. For the longest time, the bird felt incredible sadness, until it dulled her to everything else around her.

Time after time, this went on, until Emilie fell into a coma, and the bird was put back in her cage, once again. The bird thought that it was the end for her, until one day, the secretary of Emilie’s husband summoned her. And after Emilie’s husband and his secretary retrieved her friend, the cat, they decided to send the bird to a vile little girl to do with as she pleased.

_ No one will ever learn their lesson, will they? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt really compelled to write some Duusu backstory, and I read some fairytales recently, so this tone just sort of spoke to me. 
> 
> There's one more interlude to go, and we will *finally* get to hear from Chloe.


	3. Cyclone Full on Feeling

_“My thoughts are coming through, emptiness follows too. A cyclone full on feeling in the silence of the room.” - Subject to the Ladder by Broadcast_

\--

Laying on her bed and staring up at the ceiling, Chloe drowns in an endless sea of voices, all of them yelling at her and each other. Some of them can be heard over the crowd, their waves crashing down and pounding against her head. She has to pinch the bridge of her nose and rub her temples. But no matter how many times she tried to quell the storm, there was always that _one_ crack of thunder, that _one_ voice that shattered her every time she heard it speak.

_“It’s a bit too late for your apologies, Chloe. Maybe you should have given them out sooner.”_

Her mother told her entire life to never apologize for anything. Not even if she was wrong (which she _shouldn’t_ be, she’s a _Bourgeois_ ), because showing any kind of vulnerability gave people the opportunity to step all over her. Chloe didn’t dwell on it and just did as her mother told her.

Now, Chloe thinks she understands why she would say that. Or maybe she doesn’t. Maybe she doesn’t understand anything at all.

Staring at her phone, she thinks of something to send to Sabrina, something to prompt her attention and get her to talk to her. But she can’t think of anything, and ends up crying into her pillow until she falls asleep.

She does not have pleasant dreams.

\--

Things settle in a pattern, and not a comforting one. Journalists beg for a chance to interview Chloe about the incident, and some of them take desperate measures to see her. With staff member numbers dwindling, they have to tighten security on Chloe’s floor, leaving her stuck in her room the majority of the time. They can’t risk having her go outside and being mobbed by someone looking for their big break trying to expose her. Both her bedroom and the roof of Le Grand Paris quickly become something of a prison to her.

(There is _one_ time where she is forced outside, and that’s when Adrien is akumatized. Upon seeing Space Patrol, Chloe suddenly remembers that she stole the cat miraculous from him while she was akumatized, and is so horrified by the memory, that she doesn’t even bother trying to order anyone else around). 

Most of the remaining staff try not to interact with her if they can help it. They bring her food or anything else she requests, and promptly exit her room without further comment. The only interactions Chloe has with anyone are the few texts she receives from Sabrina, or when father deigns to come to her room and share a meal with her, like today. 

He doesn’t mention anything business or politics related around her, but she knows how bad things are going for him. Stories of Mayor Bourgeois fill both the airwaves and the channels of Chloe’s social media. Generally, it was either downplaying the situation or refusing to answer any questions pertaining to Chloe, even ones asking what was being planned to deal with the aftermath of Hawkmoth taking Chat Noir’s miraculous.

Her father’s true answers to these questions were to suddenly funnel as much money as he could into public works projects. “Donations” he called them, but Chloe knew well enough by now that the real word for it was “bribery”. Still, she couldn’t really complain. For once, she didn’t want the entire spotlight engulfing her. 

In addition, he doesn’t ask her about what happened that night. Perhaps it was a common courtesy or maybe they were just afraid to know the truth. Maybe he just didn’t want to be more disappointed than he already was. 

And then there was her mother, who left Paris for the rest of summer. Chloe thought that maybe they were getting closer together, and it ended with her blowing her one shot to fix that.

_Stupid Dupain-Cheng. Why did you have to be right?_

Chloe has always hated Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Despite being nowhere near as rich as her, Marinette was the one to have talent, and to eventually rally people around her, attributes that Chloe desperately needed in order to get her mom’s attention. And even with everything Chloe put Marinette through, Marinette was still the one to help her reconcile with her mother. For the first time in her life, Chloe felt like she was _actually_ looking at her.

How did Chloe repay her for that? By practically spitting in her face and ignoring her warning.

_Why do such goody two-shoes have to exist in this world? Why can I never hold my tongue against them? Why do I have to be such a screw-up?_

“Chloe, is something wrong?” her father asks, taking a bite of his chicken.

“It’s nothing, daddy.”

\--

School is the first time Chloe is finally able to leave the hotel in weeks, and she doesn’t waste any time trying to get there. She’s half-expecting to be mobbed with questions just like at the hotel, but everyone keeps to themselves. At worst, they give her a passing glare before resuming their normal business.

Still, it’s hard for everyone to ignore Chloe when the locker room has been entirely changed because of her father. No one has to say anything or even look at her, really. Just knowing she’s there is enough to send a collective shiver down their spines, even if they don’t show it. 

The day goes by rather uneventfully. She and Sabrina eat lunch, make plans to run for student rep that next week, and go about their day. Chloe does her best to hold her tongue and not make further comments. Heck, even an akuma attack goes by without her direct involvement. Chloe leaves to go home immediately after school, with Sabrina apparently sticking around to witness an incident involving Kagami and Lila over Adrien.

Part of her wishes that she also stuck around, just to get those two to stop fighting over _her_ Adrikins. Ever since he started going to their school, it felt like she was losing him more and more with each passing day. The only person that helped her get through such miserable times as a child, Chloe vowed to never mistreat Adrien, nor allow him to get away from her.

But now… she couldn’t help but think that maybe he’d be better off without her. She _was_ the one to cause him to lose his miraculous in the first place, all because she was upset about losing _hers_ . She couldn’t think of a thing Adrien could have done to deserve losing it. The thought of him having to bear the consequences of _her_ actions never occurred to her. The right thing to do would have been to apologize, but Chloe had a feeling that Adrien didn’t even want her around him within a ten foot range.

A change is needed. A _real_ one this time. She needs to show that she isn’t the mean Queen Bee anymore. Maybe she’ll never get the miraculous back, but she still has a chance to save her friendship with Adrien, doesn’t she?

The seed of a plan is planted in her head, and she uses the rest of the weekend to contemplate growing it.

\--

The weekend passes with little incident for Chloe. She ends up not going to school on Monday, despite campaigning for class rep. Sabrina can handle that. For the first time in months, her mother is finally going to talk to her and eat with her. There’s also apparently an important business decision to be made, and she’s going to ask for _Chloe_ ’s opinion.

She wakes up later that morning, and changes quickly. Her mother enters her room promptly at ten o’clock. When Audrey Bourgeois meant she was showing up at ten, she _meant_ it. Her time was precious, and everyone knew it.

The brunch spread wouldn’t show up for another thirty minutes, but that was fine by Chloe. She has a glass of her favorite sparkling water, and they enjoy the view of the city from the roof. 

“I’m going to cut straight to the chase with you,” her mother says, “Your father and I think it would be best to keep you on a more restricted schedule for this coming school year.”

“... _What_?”

“It’s time,” she continues, as though she didn’t hear Chloe, “Time for you to learn the ins and outs of the business. Perhaps that will keep you out of trouble for the time being. We’ll throw in a few lessons in PR for good measure. And some family therapy for good measure.”

“Um, mom, can you repeat all of that?”

She sighs. “I’m officially putting you under my wing. It’s obvious that your father is never going to stand his ground against you, so it’s up to _me_ to make sure you get the correct guidance. He at least agreed with me that you couldn’t be left to solely your own devices, but he expects _me_ to do it all by myself. It’s absolutely _ridiculous_.”

She isn’t sure whether or not to regard her mother with warm gratuitousness or lukewarm confusion. If her mom was speaking of her dad like that, was it possible that the two of them could have been heading down the road to separation proper? The possibility had always haunted Chloe since she was a toddler, especially when her mother would leave Paris for extended periods of time. If it hadn’t been for her dad and Adrikins, Chloe wasn’t sure how she would survive.

“Now, this may seem like quite the treat,” her mother says, studying Chloe with an intense glare, “But I’m warning you now, the work isn’t as pretty as it seems. You’re going to have to learn and learn quick. I will be pushing you outside your comfort zone.”

As strange as the offer makes her feel, Chloe accepts it, because it’s a change, and she needs a change in her life. She can’t remain the same person she’s always been. And if her mom needs her to kick into high gear to get things going, Chloe isn’t going to say no to that. She’s lucky to even have that.

However, it occurs to her that it might not be enough on its own. _It’s almost perfect_ , she ponders to herself, listening to her mother lecture her throughout brunch, _but there has to be more. More that someone such as myself can do_.

\--

It hits her right after the election results are announced.

While she puts on a show of being upset (much subdued compared to previous outings _thank you very much_ ), Chloe isn’t entirely surprised when the museum girl ( _Alix_ , a voice in her head reminds her), wins the position, choosing Nathaniel as her class deputy. Everyone seems to applaud the decision, even the former class deputy, the Ladyblogger ( _Alya_ , the voice says). Everyone, that is, except for the _other_ remaining party, one Fleur Reil and Lila Rossi.

Lila politely applauds, but for once, tries to draw little attention to herself as she consoles Fleur. Fleur has one of those baby doll smiles plastered on her face. It’s so painfully faked that Chloe’s jaw aches at the sight of it alone. Of course, she’s not a stranger to using her emotional outbursts to get what she wants, but she’s not sure why Fleur is trying to pretend. Even the most naive would have been able to tell that she was clearly upset about losing.

Of course, there was also the matter of Lila. Since Lila’s return, Chloe figured something was up with her, since she had been trying way too hard to get everyone’s attention with how _amazing_ her life was with mere stories alone. When Chloe wanted to flaunt her fortune, she always brought in the means to back it up. 

With the airing of that Kitty Section stream, Lila had been just as coldly regarded in school as Chloe. She hadn’t been around to actually _listen_ to the rumors, but Sabrina was quick to report them to her. While a few had been cordial to Lila, plenty of her classmates refused to sit anywhere near her, let alone engage with her in conversation. The only person willing to give her the time of day was Fleur, and Chloe could smell the desperation off that girl from all the way in Versailles. 

Who knew what Lila was planning in reaction to her reputation being ruined? Maybe she also wanted to start over. Maybe she was just as troubled as Chloe. Or maybe Lila had something more nefarious planned in the long run. 

_Out of everyone in this school, I’m the best equipped to keep an eye on someone like that. And no one will think me worse for it, considering what I’ve done up to this point_.

So after class, she pulls Sabrina over to their former rivals, much to their confusion.

“Hello,” she says, biting her tongue before she can call them losers, “It seems that no one in this class has any taste, other than _us_. So, I would like to propose a truce.”

She’s quick to notice the quirk of Lila’s brow, while Fleur only regards her quietly. Out of all of them, Sabrina is the most confused and suspicious, clearly not picking up on what Chloe had planned. They would have to have a talk later.

“A truce?” Lila asks innocently, “Oh, Chloe, I didn’t realize I did something to upset you-”

“Can it,” she says, “I’m not interested in sob stories or anything of the like. All I want to know is if the two of you are going to be joining me and Sabrina for afternoon tea today. There are… _things_ I would like to discuss.”

Fleur’s eyes are quick to light up and quickly dull, likely wondering if this was all just a dream. Lila is nowhere near as expressive, but she is rather quick to respond.

“Gee, I don’t know Chloe. Would it really be alright for someone like me to come over to your place? I just don't seem that important compared to you."

“Oh? That’s interesting. I just figured someone such as yourself who has infamous connections, and is the daughter of an important politician would want to spend time with someone in a similar position as yourself. I thought we had _that_ much in common, or is that just a lie?”

She frowns. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“Are you giving me reason to?”

Both Sabrina and Fleur avert their gazes, not sure how to respond. And even if either one of them did, Chloe has no doubt that neither of them will voice such concerns.

Chloe sighs. “Look. We don’t have any reason to _hate_ each other. We’re in the same boat, you and I. If you decide you don’t want to come, that’s all fine and well. I just think that if you say no, you might have something to hide is all. Call me suspicious in return, if that makes you feel better.”

Lila regards her with a long, hard stare. There had been one thing her mother made sure to teach her when she was a young girl, before leaving to go on her various trips out of town. And that was when people gauged you in a battle of direct eye contact, you held on until the very end. Chloe had no intentions of losing, and that’s made quickly apparent to Lila.

Lila sighs. “Alright, Chloe. I suppose if that will put your mind at ease, I could have tea with you for the day, as long as Fleur can come.”

Smirking, Chloe says, “Good. Now, follow me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know I've toned Audrey down a bit for this fic, but we'll be dealing with her another day. 
> 
> Well, the stage is now set for the arc to begin proper. I have no idea how many chapters this will be, but I think it's going to be a bit more experimental from a writing standpoint.


	4. Metathesiophobia

“ _ There’s a horror in my head, when the blanket is gone, from the floor in my castle where I see the sun from.” - Horror Head by Curve _

\--

They have some extra time to spare that afternoon. Not a whole lot, since Jagged was hoping to have them continue recording material for their album, but enough to arrange a meeting with Marianne, and maybe, Master Fu.

Nearly a month had passed since the last time she saw him, but it felt more like years. Too many changes struck them between the loss of Chat Noir and the present, that it made Marinette feel like she was much, much older. She couldn’t help but wonder if Fu shared a similar sentiment. And if he did, would it only get worse with time?

Over the course of fifteen minutes, the two of them are able to locate Marianne and, with Kaalki’s help, teleport all the way over to the hidden temple. The evening hours had already rolled around, but Fu could be seen in the garden area, meditating and deep in thought.

“Good evening,” he says without opening his eyes, “I had a feeling that you three would be over here soon.”

“You’ve been keeping up with the news?” Marinette teases.

He pulls out his tablet, revealing an opened email. From a distance, it looks pretty normal, but upon further inspection, the message itself was written in a series of phrases that only the four of them would be able to piece together. 

“It seems that we have quite a bit of business to discuss,” he says, gesturing to three of them to sit down. “Let’s recap so we make sure that we’re all on the same page.”

After delivering a heavily condensed version of the events from the past few days, Marinette feels conviction building inside of her, as if any doubts she had considering this decision had disappeared. Still, there’s the matter of Felix to contend with.

“I’m not sure if we can trust him,” Luka says, “I tried getting a read off of him but he’s just in a weird headspace.”

“Let’s not worry over young Felix, then,” Fu says, “As nice as it would be to have someone spy on Gabriel for us, we have to make sure they don’t have intent to betray us.”

“I’m not worried about Felix betraying us to his uncle,” Marianne chimes in, “I’m worried he has other motives and might try to blackmail you. Especially if he gets even the tiniest shred of evidence pointing toward your identities. You’ve already had to use your civilian powers on him once, I would hope that we don’t have to make a regular habit of it.”

Marinette bites her lip. She doesn’t want to give up on this idea, since it was likely their only chance to get the drop on Hawkmoth. And that’s when she remembers something. “There might be someone else who can help us. Someone we already know and have worked with.”

“Then it might be in our interest if you spoke with them,” Marianne advises, “I hope that Felix will eventually come around, but we’d best leave him alone for now.”

“Very well,” Fu says, “Is there any other business we should discuss?”

“Yes,” Marinette says, “I think we should start making some team members full time. Viperion has been wonderful and pulling his weight since day one. But now that summer is over, it’s getting more difficult for him to be there during akuma attacks, since we go to different schools right now. And with another user out there, I could use all the help I could get.” 

“I agree. Luka has been a wonderful partner for you, but real life obstacles are going to get in the way of your partnership. I would suggest promoting only a couple of your teammates to full-time status to see how they handle things. I have a feeling you already know which ones would work best?”

“I think Princess Piggy, Taureau Furieux and Tigresse Rayé would be our best bet,” Marinette explains, “They’ve worked with the both of us the most, and while Rena Rouge and Carapace have been improving, they’re just as helpful to us as civilians.”

“Yeah,” Luka says weakly, “I know those three the best, too. If something were to happen to me, I know I could trust them.”

Both her and Master Fu study Luka for a long moment. There’s something in his eyes, something…  _ confused  _ about them. She can’t help but wonder if he’s hiding something, but it’d probably be best to ask him about it later.

“There was something else I was thinking about,” she says, continuing to look at Luka for a moment, before finally returning her attention to Fu. “Master Fu, I think it’s time we dropped the secret identities to the rest of the heroes.”

His eyes widen, almost snapping to life, and a little gasp escapes from him, indicating that such an idea was far from his mind. Even Marianne seems a little caught off guard by the suggestion. Luka is the only one who doesn’t seem the least bit surprised.

“Marinette, you know that’s incredibly dangerous!” he exclaims, “I know that a few instances have come to pass where that was necessary, but we can’t have an entire team of people knowing each other’s identities.”

“Why not?” Marinette asks, “Master, I realize it sounds pretty irresponsible and it goes against the rules, but at this point, if we play by the same playbook we have been, we’re… going to lose.” She bites her tongue before she can find the courage to continue. “Hawkmoth has scored major victories over us, and now he has a new partner in the cat, and the peafowl is starting to be more active. If we’re going to take him down, we need to be in sync with one another. Keeping secrets made sense before, but it’s not the same now.” 

“I… I’ll think about it,” Fu sighs. “I apologize if it sounds like I’m doubting you. This is such a big gamble, and goes against everything I was taught. For now, let’s continue to monitor the progress of your teammates.”

She frowns, but nods. She had a feeling things would turn out like this, but she couldn’t help but admit that it was still frustrating to hear. 

“I have a suggestion,” Marianne says, “How about the two of you initiate the new dragon hero to the team? I think she’s a strong candidate for the cause.”

“Yes, this would give the two of you the chance to try out the ceremony for yourselves,” Fu says, “Thankfully, I have a batch of the elixirs prepared. All you need to do is cook it into whatever food you plan to use. Luka, would you mind giving me a hand in the kitchen?”

It takes him a moment to realize what’s been asked of him, but without saying a word, he complies and follow Fu inside of the temple. Seeing the empty space between them, Marianne pats an empty part of the grass, gesturing to Marinette to move a big closer for a chat.

“This is quite the sight for sore eyes, wouldn’t you agree?”

Marinette smiles back. “Yeah. It is.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we're *finally* getting into the meat of this arc.
> 
> And yes, this arc is tentatively planned for 33 chapters. That includes all interludes. I'll admit, one mini arc in particular is likely the reason why this arc is so lengthy, but it's probably what I'm most looking forward to writing. 
> 
> Thankfully, a lot of these earlier chapters are going to be on the shorter side, so it won't be until later when things slow down a bit. Nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoy the ride!


	5. Tightropes Wound Around

_ “The tightropes wound around. Just one slip and you tumble down.” - Duel by Swervedriver _

\--

His memories haunt him every time he comes down to the kitchen, seeing the ghosts of the cooks preparing meals by the fire and arranging the food into neat dishes for all of the future Guardians. When he first arrived at the temple, he begrudged the shift toward a more veggie and fruit focused diet - the Guardians followed a diet that wasn’t dissimilar to that of Tibetan monks, and it made him miss his mother’s cooking all the more - and as a result, he would barely eat his meals. If it weren’t for a particularly nosy cook, Fu might have never have adjusted to life at the temple. 

It always strikes him just how empty and lifeless the place is now that he’s the only living within it. Somehow, it makes living here now all the more lonely.

“So, Luka,” Fu asks, “How have things been going?”

“It’s been alright,” he says with a shrug, “Things are getting busier with the band now that we launched our single, and now we have all these akuma  _ and  _ amok attacks-”

“Now, now, you know that’s not what I meant,” Fu says, gesturing him inside the kitchen, “I meant  _ you _ . How have you been feeling as of late?”

The young hero studies him for a moment, and in a move uncharacteristic of him, averts his gaze, his eyes darting back and forth between himself and the vials that Fu hands him, placing them in his pocket. His disposition reminds Fu of a gray, stormy day about to hit the shores of an otherwise pleasant shoreline - a shoreline normally encountering waves in the form of them gently caressing the ground before making their return, now being threatened to have said waves crash down.

“You have a way of picking up on feelings people have, whether they’re hiding them or not. I’ve learned a little bit myself, but I don’t need that to know that something worries you. Something you feel guilty about sharing, even with… no,  _ especially  _ with Marinette.” 

It takes him a moment to answer the question. “She’s got a lot on her plate. I don’t want to add on to that.”

“Why do you think you would add on to her plate?” Fu asks, “She cares a lot about you, and if you were hurting, it’s only natural that she’d want to help.” 

He doesn’t need to say anything this time - the aversion of his gaze speaks for him.

“Remember that the two of you are a  _ team _ ,” Fu says gently, “One you cannot bear all the burden for the other. You’ve done well in helping Marinette through tough times.”

It’s easy to see that Luka isn’t entirely convinced, but perhaps Fu’s words gave him a little more strength to confront his inner thoughts. In the coming days, everyone was going to need a bit more of that, and they were going to have to rely on each other to obtain that. Regardless of whether or not he agreed with Marinette on having the team reveal their identities to one another, they  _ did  _ need to be in sync with one another. 

“But what if one day, I get so overwhelmed by… all  _ this _ ,” he says, holding his hand over his chest, “Whatever is stirring up in here, raging because I can’t stop Hawkmoth from getting the upper hand? Because even though I’m in a great band and at my dream school, there’s still assh-, um, bullies that think I’m only there cause I’m to be pitied? And what happens if I do something reckless because of it? And more importantly, what if  _ she  _ gets hurt because of that?” There’s a sudden sharpness to his breath, as if threatening to throw something across the kitchen. His arms shake, and his fingers dig into the sides of the vials, begging himself quietly to calm down before he drops or breaks them.

“How long has this been bothering you?”

He closes his eyes and remains silent for a few seconds.  _ He’s counting to ten in his head. _ “I think… since Chat?” 

“Listen, I realize that the two of you have a lot riding on all of this. That’s why I agreed with Marinette that you needed to add more full-time members to your team. Unless you have a problem with that?”

“No, of course not! That’s not it at all.”

“Then there’s something else.”

“...It’s because I know who Rena Rouge and Carapace are. I figured it out when we were fighting Space Patrol. I know that Marinette has already forgiven them and moved on. But  _ I  _ can’t help but harbor a little resentment for the two of them, even though they didn’t hurt me directly. I feel petty just saying that.”

“I don’t think Marinette would agree with that,” Fu points out, “But if you’re able to handle your feelings and still get the job done, I don’t believe it’ll be much of an obstacle.”

Luka sighs, examining the elixirs and cradling them in his hands. The storm has been temporarily calmed for the time being, but something else was still to come. 

  
Fu frowns, wishing he had Wayzz there for silent support. He  _ really  _ didn’t like not knowing what was going to happen. But they could only move forward at this point with the hope that things would work out for the best. And with that in mind, they move to meet up again with Marinette and Marianne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say for this one, except for when Fu's thoughts will eventually come back in a fun and interesting way later ;)
> 
> We're almost done with the "intro" section of this arc. If things go according to plan, there should be only two more chapters before the next section. Or "act"? I'm tempted to call it a mini arc but I think that could get confusing. I'm leaving it to everyone in the audience to decide on the name.


	6. Atelophobia

The afternoon following their meeting with Fu is jam packed with activity and things-to-do. In between completing her homework in the studio office and doing interview prep with Penny, Marinette attempts to work on a new design, hoping to have something else to show off at the upcoming audition for the Gauguin Institute. It feels almost  _ too  _ peaceful and she’s afraid that an akuma or amok could pop out at any second, but thankfully, one never does.

The ritual with Kagami also goes over rather well. She catches glimpses of Kagami smiling now and then, and it leaves Ladybug with no doubt that she is an excellent addition to the team. It only makes her feel bad because of what she’s about to ask her.

Sending Viperion away for a moment, Ladybug asks for the return of the dragon miraculous before getting down to business.

“I need to ask you something,” she says quietly, “And it’s okay if you’re not comfortable with it. I’ve heard about what happened between you and Adrien, and I don’t want to put you into a situation that’ll upset you again, regardless of the protections you have.”

“It must be rather serious,” Kagami says, “But I’m willing to hear you out. If it’s a challenge, I’m sure it’s something I can handle.”

Biting her lip, she begins her pitch. “There’s someone we have on our potential suspects list for being Hawkmoth, or at least, being associated with him. That someone is… Mr. Agreste.”

Kagami frowns, but says nothing, so Ladybug continues.

“We wanted to try reaching out to his nephew, Felix, to investigate just what it is he’s getting involved with, and see if we can definitively prove or disprove his involvement. But Felix is difficult to crack, and we’re not entirely sure if we can trust him. For all we know, he could already be under Hawkmoth’s sway.”

“And what about Adrien?”

“Things are a bit complicated there. We have reason not to trust him, too.”

“In other words, you want me to spy on Adrien and Felix.”

It feels wrong to agree to the phrasing of it like that, but Ladybug realizes that there’s no sugar coating it. And even if she could, Kagami isn’t the sort of person to sugar coat things with.

“If you’re up to it. If you don’t want to speak to him ever again-”

“I can handle it,” Kagami assures her, “Mr. Agreste has been attempting to fix his business relations with my mother following the  _ incident _ , and I’m sure he’d be all too glad to have me hang around his son and nephew. And to be quite frank, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious as to what’s going on with Adrien myself.”

For her own sake, Marinette tried  _ not  _ to pay too much attention to what was going on with him, lest she want her heart poked and prodded at again. But with the way things were shaping up, she couldn’t entirely ignore him either. If her theories about Hawkmoth and Gabriel Agreste were true, Adrien was an easy target to be manipulated, and with Felix now in town with unclear intent, that meant double the trouble on her hands.

“As a matter of fact,” she continues, “I thought I heard mention of a party being thrown for Adrien’s birthday and Felix’s arrival in Paris. I’m sure mother will want me to go for the sake of putting on a good face.”

“Okay. Then I’m counting on you. And please be careful. Remember that your new civilian powers are there to help you get out of a pinch, but if you try to use them on someone else with the same mark, they won’t work.”

“I’ll try to use it sparingly. Thank you, Ladybug.”

\--

They finally have some alone time together, able to stand atop the Eiffel Tower and enjoy the scenery. It isn’t too different from any other summer night they spent watching the city, although there’s a coolness to the early September air that reminds them of the passage of time. It’s not chilly, not just yet, but summer is clearly letting out its dying breath. 

When she looks at him, though, something feels…  _ off _ . He holds himself in such a way that indicates that he’s afraid of letting go and revealing himself to be a shaking mess.

“Hey, are you okay?” 

“It’s not important. It’s just… some bad thoughts.”

“Like what?”

Silence falls upon the two of them. Normally, she’s fine with it, but this doesn’t feel like their usual silence. Their  _ comfortable  _ silence. 

“Luka, please don’t shut me out.” She doesn’t mean for it to come out like that, but there’s no hiding her desperation at this point.

His eyes widen.

“If it’s that bad… if it’s something you think would normally get you akumatized, it’s not a burden to tell someone about it. If you really don’t want to tell me, I get it, but you shouldn’t keep it to yourself if it’s hurting you that bad.”

He can only regard her quietly, mouth slightly agape, as though he were in complete disbelief over the whole situation. 

“I… I’m sorry.” He gets up and starts to pace a bit, trying to keep himself from shaking. Her first instinct is to go up and touch his shoulder, but something tells her to allow him some room while he talks. “I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want to sound like I was trying to undermine you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was afraid when you mentioned bringing in new teammates that it meant I wasn’t being helpful enough. I mean, logically, I knew that’s not why you mentioned it, but I still felt bad that I wasn’t able to help right away or at all. I’m your partner, and I know you can handle things on your own, but you shouldn’t have to do  _ everything  _ alone. 

“But on top of that, I worried that you were going to promote Rena and Carapace to full-time heroes, considering that I know their identities. I know you’ve forgiven them, but sometimes, just seeing them still makes my blood boil. It reminds me of how you were treated and how bad everything got,” he scowls, clutching his head, “I should just let it go, but I can’t.”

“Luka…”

“And on top of  _ that _ , there’s just some stuff going on at school. That guy I’ve mentioned a couple of times at lunch? Well, he’s really been getting on my case day in and day out. I thought I had everything under control, and that I shouldn’t let it get to me, but with everything else we have on our plates…”

He stops, in need of a deep breath. She takes this opportunity to place her hand on his shoulder, and come face to face to him.

“I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

“I appreciate everything you do for me,” she says, leaning in so that their foreheads are touching, “But if it’s coming at your expense, then you need to stop. You know our new team members aren’t going to just take pressure off of me. They’re going to help  _ you  _ too. And me knowing that you’ll be okay will make  _ me  _ feel better.”

“Marinette…”

He cries for a bit, and she holds him in a tight hug, allowing the rest of the world to fade behind them. Without a single glance and only the slightest touch of her arms around his shoulders, Marinette becomes painfully aware of just how much the two of them had lost that summer, and what they were continuing to lose as time flew by and Hawkmoth grew more and more bold. A moment later, the desire to not lose him is all that consumes her mind. 

She had a feeling that this wouldn’t be the end of it. But for tonight, she has to let it go, and allow him to make his own decisions regarding how he felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 more chapter before we head into the next section of the arc! And yes, I am excited to write the party portion since there will be an interesting confrontation, but in case you were wondering, that's not my favorite portion by far. 
> 
> I think that deep down, Luka might be the sort to have problems letting go of grudges. He seems chill on the surface, but if you really mess with him or those he cares about, it's going to take time and effort to work through that. But we'll get to explore more of Luka's emotional state and thoughts about himself in a later portion (I don't want to give away details just yet, but for that, I have a chapter planned for each member of Kitty Section. I've also thrown some headcanons for this idea on my tumblr, but in regards to general canon).


	7. Cyberphobia

Upon arriving back in her bedroom, Marinette is ready to fall on her bed and hit her pillow. As if she had a sixth sense, that is the precise moment that Alya sends her a text, asking if she could review the next post for the Ladyblog before she updated it.

As glad as she is to be a part of the editorial process, she has a funny feeling that it’s only going to be another ongoing complication in the long-run. Still, Alya is making an effort to mend bridges between them, and Marinette wants to be a part of that. 

Reading the file over, it seems that the majority of the article is done, with her key points being made. But there’s still a little  _ something  _ missing from the article to make sure it fully packs a punch.

“Come on, Tikki. It seems we have one more errand to run tonight.”

\--

Ladybug knocks on Alya’s window as gently as possible, trying to not stir a major commotion. Thankfully, Alya seems to be on the same page, and allows her inside with as little fanfare as possible.

“Ladybug!” she exclaims in a whisper, “What are you doing here at this hour?”

“I came here to clarify a few things for the Ladyblog,” she says, settling into an empty chair, “You got a few minutes?”

Alya wastes no time, getting her phone at the ready.

“Let’s start with the amoks.”

It feels like Ladybug talks for hours instead of the mere one that it takes to cover everything regarding the amoks, what she has to say regarding Lila (making sure to phrase it in a way without directly naming her), and advice concerning the emotional turmoil caused by Hawkmoth, and then condensing all of it into a short video statement for the post. She’s half relieved and half a nervous wreck when Alya turns the camera off, and immediately opens her editing program to prepare the video for upload.

“Thanks for all of that, Ladybug,” she says, without a care in the world, “I needed to make some corrections, and some of what you said should help clarify the misinformation. I really should have consulted you about it in the first place, but hopefully, we can get the truth out there now.”

She ought to be more relieved than she really is, but knowing how events have played out so far, some precautionary measures start running through Ladybug’s mind. During her time at rehearsal, Jagged lent her some leftover equipment for Surveillance Stuff, which she was sure she wouldn’t know what to do with. However, once Alya publishes this story, she was going to need all the coverage that she could get from payback. 

“Not a problem,” she says, allowing her own plan to boil in the back of her head, “Do you plan on releasing it tonight?”

“No, not right away,” she says, “I still have to edit and clean up the article with this new information. I’m thinking by tomorrow afternoon it should be ready.”

“Good. Be thorough about it,” Ladybug warns her, “I have a feeling that some people are going to come after you for it, so make sure to stick to close company and keep an eye on your stuff.”

Alya frowns. “You’re talking about Lila, right?”

Biting her lip, she nods. “She doesn’t like it when people expose her lies, harmless or not. And the ones she told you and had on the Ladyblog are definitely far more harmful if they are not debunked. Her mother works for the embassy, and if she’s higher up in rank, Lila could already have a target on her back from someone looking to cause trouble. It’d only get worse if people really thought she was friends with a superhero.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Alya sighs, “I wish I had considered that before.”

“It’s alright. Make sure to get enough rest tonight. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be interesting.”

\--

She gets back home again, still under the impression that she’ll be able to collapse into bed and rest until the next day.

That’s when Alya sends a new text.

“You sure are popular tonight, Marinette,” Tikki teases.

“It’s not easy,” Marinette laughs back, reading over the new content, “As much as I love everyone, I can’t help but hope I’ll get a minute just for myself.”

It’s brief, but Marinette is just able to catch a glimpse of Tikki’s face faltering before attempting to fake a new smile. 

“What is it?”

“What? Oh, it’s nothing!”

“Come on, Tikki,” Marinette sighs, “If you’re worried about something, there’s no point in hiding it.”

“It’s not that I’m  _ worried.  _ Okay, maybe a little bit. Just… I’m kind of sad to see that you’re getting overwhelmed by everything again. All those months ago, you finally looked like you were getting into a better head space, and I was really happy for you. But now, all that’s been undone and it feels like everything went back to the way it was. Like, there’s no difference between then and now.”

“But there  _ is  _ a difference, Tikki,” Marinette points out, “Back then, I felt like no one was really on my side or had their own agenda. It made everything more difficult, like I had to walk a tightrope. And I used to worry a lot that I wasn’t good enough or that I was the one hurting people by being selfish.”

  
The kwami can’t help but burst into tears at the confession, and curls up against Marinette’s cheek, sitting on her shoulder for the rest of the evening. She even manages to fall asleep as Marinette continues to read through the article and send in suggestions to Alya via text. Once she’s said her peace, she plugs her phone into the charger, decorates the pieces of the set that Jagged gave her, and finally,  _ finally,  _ falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're about a fifth of the way through now, and done with the first act of this arc (which is what I'm now dubbing these mini-arcs. Because why not be dramatic like that?). There will be six acts total. I guess I'll give away some information about the general set-up, but keep in mind like with previous arcs, this may be subject to change.
> 
> Chapters 1-7 (Act I: "What Needs to Be Said" aka the Palette Cleanser from "Bottle")  
> Chapters 8-14 (Act II: "The Agreste-Graham de Vanily Party")  
> Chapters 15-16 (Act III: "Gauguin Interview")  
> Chapters 17-22 (Act IV: ?)  
> Chapters 23-28 (Act V: ?)  
> Chapters 29-33 (Act VI: ?)
> 
> I'm choosing not to reveal the names of the last three acts right away and will most likely reveal them as we get closer to them (ie Act IV's name getting revealed after Act III is over, etc.)


	8. Convivophobia

Marinette's mind is a bit foggy the following morning, with only Tikki looking worse for wear. As her kwami opens her eyes and lets out a yawn, she can see Tikki deflate a bit, already exhausted before the day has started.

She takes her time that morning to make absolutely certain that the new set of cameras are ready for Alya, and that they match her aesthetic. They need to blend in as seamlessly as possible while gaining the Ladyblogger Seal of Approval. 

Alya arrives just as Marinette finishes getting everything from her own locker, trying to slyly pass the cameras off to her, but only receiving a puzzled look.

"Put them in your locker," Marinette says, "And then download and connect to an app called 'Surveillance Stuff' especially before you publish that article. You should be prepared for retaliation."

Alya casts her a sad smile. "Thanks. But where did you get this?"

"A friend," she says with a wink, "One that we can trust."

She continues to smile and then sighs. "It's scheduled to go live today after school lets out. It feels kind of cowardly, but I didn't want to walk into school today and deal with the aftermath."

"Then it's a good thing I got you those. Just be careful today, okay?"

The first bell rings, and the two of them part ways, heading to their respective classes. Almost everyone who had arrived was already seated at their desks, with Kagami shooting Marinette a curious, all-knowing glance.

"You look like you're in a good mood," Marinette says, taking her seat, "Did something happen?"

"I had a feeling about something, and I was proven right about it."

"About what?"

She looks towards the door, seeing a scowling Felix enter. "You'll see."

He settles at the front of the front of the room, standing proper and straight, clearing his throat to gain everyone's attention. Confused by the sudden demand, everyone slowly quiets down, curious to hear what he has to say.

"Everyone in this room is invited to the Agreste-Graham de Vanily Family party being held on Thursday, September 15 at 5pm. It is primarily a birthday party for my cousin, Adrien, but also a welcoming party for myself. No presents are necessary, but there shall be a dress code, so I advise you to coordinate ahead of time. More details will be sent later in the day."

With a small huff, he turns to settle into his seat. Beside her, Kagami can't help but snort before attempting to recompose herself. Marinette couldn't help but smile herself, though not without wondering why it made her so happy. She thought Kagami's anger towards Adrien would still be lingering, but when she recalls the mission she received, Marinette is willing to believe that Kagami is eager to please. 

Chatter falls over the room, only for all to fall silent as Mendeleiev enters to begin their lecture for the day.

\--

That particular day, Luka decided to have lunch with some new friends at Gauguin, so everyone else decided to do their own thing for the day. Rose and Juleka join Alix, Nathaniel and Marc to chat about the art club, while Ivan sits with Mylene and mutual friends. 

Kagami and Alya once again join Marinette at a lunch table, with Nino coming back and putting his stuff down in an empty chair.

"I can't believe Adrien's dad allowed him to have a party this year," Nino comments at lunch, "Especially after he made such a big fuss about it yesterday." For a moment, he pauses, looking at Kagami. "Oh, uh, sorry to bring it up so casually. I know what he said to you before was pretty uncool."

"I'm alright now. Besides, I'm actually looking forward to the party despite whom it is it's being held for."

As if on cue, Marinette receives a ping on her phone, and the invitation details pop right up on her screen.

"It's being held at the Mansion?" Marinette asks, "I thought they'd hold it at a venue or something."

"I suspect that Adrien's aunt and my mother strong-armed him into complying there. It prevents a lot of paparazzi from somehow sneaking in, especially now that they have tighter security," Kagami explains.

She nods, trying to hide a scowl. It wasn't much of a surprise to her that something like that would happen, but if they decided to investigate, that was going to make things a lot more difficult. Plus, she had no idea what extra security measures would have been placed. More cameras? The locations of the cameras being changed? More guards to keep an eye on Adrien? An upgraded security system that only a disgustingly rich person could afford?

“I guess that makes some sense,” Nino grumbles, “Last year, that wouldn’t have been enough alone to convince the old man.”

“I never did get to hear of what happened the year prior,” Kagami muses, “Would the two of you mind filling me in on just what it was that occurred?”

“Alya probably remembers better than me,” Nino sighs, “I was the one who… well, you  _ know _ .”

The two of them go to inform Kagami of the previous year’s events, with Nino untensing after a time. During the conversation, she receives a text from Luka, and can’t help but take a glance over at it.

_ Luka: Jagged says that we just scored a gig for the Agreste party next week. I can always try to talk him out of it, if you want. _

He had been catching on to something that she herself . Besides being wary of Felix, she wasn’t looking forward to coming face to face with Adrien in a public setting again, especially when the event focused on him. That was to say nothing of Gabriel Agreste and his potential behavior.

_ Marinette: No, you don’t have to do that. If anything, we can use this to our advantage. This is the sort of event that Hawkmoth would love to take advantage of. Besides, you’ve been dying to play Mellowmade live, and I have the perfect outfit in mind <3 _

As soon as she sends the message, she receives another ping, this time from Alya.

_ Alya: u know, i totes forgot that u mite not even want 2 go 2 this party after everything u and Adrien went thru, not 2 mention dealin w Felix. _

_ Marinette: It’s fine. Kitty Section is scheduled to play for them anyway, and supporting them is a full-time gig! _

_ Alya: wow they really r picking up steam if even adrien’s dad is hiring them _

  
She simply sends a smiley emoji back and returns to the rest of the conversation. Maybe the tides were finally,  _ finally _ changing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Act II, everyone. 
> 
> I was originally planning on doing one of the stories for the anniversary collection, but I ended up struggling with it, and decided to just jump back in here, since these earlier chapters are going to be a lot shorter. 
> 
> The next two main chapters should be particularly interesting for Lila. :)


	9. Catagelophobia

Another day, another afternoon to be spent in the studio. Jagged was in his office with Anarka and the entirety of Kitty Section, debriefing them on the details of their new gig. No doubt Rose was shaking with anticipation and temporarily putting aside any reservations. Marinette couldn't help but hope that they'd advocate to wear their jackets yet again, over whatever outfits would be Agreste approved, especially since she had received texts from Aurore, Mirielle and Colette, asking for help with their own outfits. If it was simply coordinating for them, Marinette didn’t mind, but she didn’t want to rush out over half a dozen outfits for an event only a week and a half away.

Part of her did have to wonder why so much emphasis was being placed on outfits. Certainly, Gabriel was a well-known designer, but the party last year had been more of a casual event. Why go through so much fuss to dress up?

She's alone in the lobby, alternating between checking her portfolio for her interview and checking the Ladyblog's comment section of the latest post. As Alya had promised, the post debunking Lila's lies (among other things) had been finally posted, which meant it was only a matter of time before someone mentioned her. So far, the comments she saw only remarked on the Ladybug interview video that gave out information on the amoks, with people discussing what might have been happening around it.

"Man, I feel like I've been recording all day," Vivica yawns, walking down the hallway with her arms outstretched, "I could go for some coffee or something."

"I could make some," Ruby offers, walking alongside her, "The pot is still hot."

"Nah, I'd rather go out and get something, you know? You're free to join me."

"I think Penny wanted to see me before I left," Ruby sighs, "I don't know how long she wants me here for."

The two of them spot Marinette and slow down to greet her. Placing her work down, she gets up to return the gesture.

"You know, I always see you here and you're always busy," Vivica points out.

"I leave some of my stuff here," Marinette explains, "For safety reasons."

"You can't keep it at school?"

She shakes her head. "I had problems last year with a girl stealing my stuff. And there's another girl I don't particularly trust either."

"Yikes," Ruby sighs, "That sounds like my middle school experience. Except it was the boys who did most of the stealing, with the one guy's sister doing the conniving. Most people didn't like her, but they wouldn't really stand up to her either. Thankfully, I transferred out that last year, but it still haunts me to that day."

"Some kids are vicious and they just never grow out of it," Vivica says, "I mean, look at Bob Roth and Alec."

"Wait, you knew Bob Roth?"

"He weighed in on rehearsals with Mirielle sometimes," she says, pinching the bridge of her nose, "That guy was the worst. Honestly, I felt bad for his son, as annoying as he was."

"I'm afraid that annoying son of his just might be trying to convince Mr. Agreste for an invitation to our next gig," Penny remarks as she enters the room, "Ruby, I've sent you a copy of the invitation and directions for the day of the event. You're to coordinate an outfit under those guidelines."

"Oh, um, okay," she says, "You said you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"That was it. You're free to go for the day."

"Oh," Ruby says, staring at her in shock, "I... you're sure? There's really nothing else you need me to do?"

"I mean, if you could get your outfit together, that would be nice. But you don't need to be here to do that."

"Sounds like my cue," Vivica chimes in, "Come on, I know a place."

"Oh, I guess that also means we can stop for coffee then," Ruby says, perking up. "Where should we head then?"

Marinette doesn't miss the sight of Ruby seizing Vivica's hand in a burst of confidence, leading the singer out of the building and into the city, 

"I'm glad to see she's in a better mood," Penny sighs, "She's a lot like you, Marinette."

"I don't know her too well, since she’s always busy, but I always felt like we shared something in common," Marinette admits.

"Well, we have an interview for an intern and some other behind the scenes people coming up after this party, so she'll have a team working with her soon enough," Penny explains, "We're still relatively small for a label, so we aren't anticipating a large staff, unless we end up growing and needing more help."

"I guess that makes sense."

Sighing, she collapses into her seat, reviewing the material for her interview.

"Your interview for the Gauguin Institute is coming up, correct?"

She nods. "Last day before fall break. We've already been excused from school for the day."

"Good. I've already sent your school copies of Jagged's recommendation, but you should have my number, and both hard and email copies of it should they question you. I know they take this stuff very seriously."

"You don't know how much that relieves me," she says, "I feel like I get myself worked up over the littlest of things."

"I get what you mean," Penny says with a sad smile, "It's why I can't get mad with you or Ruby. I know the both of you are only doing your best. And with our workloads as they are, I can’t ask for more.”

“Yeah, I can’t believe how busy things have gotten around here,” Marinette sighs, “It really makes me miss summer vacation. My schedule was more flexible, even if it was still jam-packed.”

“I wish I still had summer vacations, period. Jagged and I are hoping now that we left Bob’s label, and we’re hiring staff, we’ll be able to take some proper time off. Summer Sesh was rather nice to attend, even if we had our work cut out for us,” Penny says, taking a seat across from Marinette, “And it wasn’t really a vacation.”

“Wait,” Marinette gasps, “Bob Roth denied you vacation time?”

“ _ Deny _ isn’t the exact word I would use. It’s more like, he’d try to pressure us into  _ not  _ going, and then ask for help with work while we were gone, eating up our weekends. He was sneaky like that.”

_ Ugh, that sounds like something Lila would do _ , Marinette remarks to herself.  _ Speaking of which _ … She picks up her phone and checks the comment section of the Ladyblog, not at all surprised by the comments that start rolling in.

_ “It’s about time these false statements were corrected. Seriously, how is this the most reputable source of Ladybug related news?” _

_ “I can’t believe she shared a story of some boring, small-town girl claiming to be friends with Ladybug on here. Like, even if it was real, who cares?” _

_ “I bet she only debunked that claim because that girl screwed her over.” _

“ _ I’ve been saying from day one that something was off with this blog. She thought the mayor’s daughter, who we  _ saw  _ in other footage  _ with  _ Ladybug,  _ was  _ Ladybug.” _

_ “Speaking of that, wouldn’t it be smarter to be unmasking Hawkmoth’s identity and presenting it to the authorities? Doing a public investigation on the internet would easily mark you as a target.” _

_ “It’s cause she’s a teenage girl. You know how they are, going around and trying to stir up drama. Leave the real journalism to the experts.” _

She can’’t help but cringe at that, especially reading the escalating arguments in that particular thread. Yet, that’s nowhere near being the nastiest of comments. A couple of them casually throw around slurs, and while they were being called out, Marinette wouldn’t have been surprised to see those whole selections deleted the next day.

Closing the window, she opts to give Alya a call. When she finally picks up, she can hear some shuffling around in the background.

“Hey,” she says, “I just wanted to check on you after the post got put up. Are you feeling better?”

“ _ I’m not sure yet _ ,” Alya sighs, before pausing. “ _ I’ve seen the comments section. I think I made a mistake in not making the post comment free. There’s going to be way too many to moderate, even with Nino helping me.” _

“Maybe you could open a discussion forum, instead?” Marinette offers, “Or don’t you have the ability to approve comments?”

“ _ Yeah, but I’d rather not have to resort to that if I don’t have to. People will think I have something to hide, and I’d seem even less trustworthy.”  _ Another pause.

“Hey, are you really okay?”

Another sigh. “ _ Not really. I thought getting this post up would make things better, but maybe it just made things more complicated. Even with interview footage with Ladybug, some people just don’t want to believe in me anymore, and I can’t really blame them for it.” _

“Then don’t worry about them. Focus on those who  _ do  _ believe in you, Alya, and we’ll figure out the right solution to this.”

“... _ Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Mari. _ ” There’s another pause, and from the shuffling that goes on in the background, Marinette is inclined to think that Alya is brushing away some tears. “ _ Hey, so me and Nino were going to try watching a movie with Kagami over video chat tonight. Would you be able to join us?” _

“Well, I kind of have a new commission on my hands now, with this birthday party coming up. But, I could probably just leave you guys on in the background while I work.”

“ _ Alright, I’ll text you the details later. And Mari?” _

“Yeah?”

  
“ _ Thank you.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have one more chapter before the big party. And I think it'll be rather interesting, if a certain confrontation pans out the way I'm thinking it will.
> 
> Anyway, next chapter will be a Ruby Interlude. Finally, we're getting inside the mind of the only recurring OC I have in this story. I didn't even think she'd stick around for this long. Originally, she was just going to be in one chapter of "WHM," but I didn't really have a reason to get rid of her, so she's here.


	10. My Shaking Hands Are All I Own

_ “Here I stand all alone, my shaking hands are all I own. And your star-struck lips, they just reminded me of what I've missed, what I've kissed.” - Crash Sight by Adorable _

\--

“So what is our fair intern thinking of wearing to the ball?” Vivica teases, as the two of them leave the building.

“I’d hardly call the Agreste party a ‘ball,’” Ruby points out, “Although, I don’t think I can really dress it down anyway.”

Vivica laughs, and suddenly, Ruby is aware of just how much privacy is afforded to the two of them. Even with all the time the two of them spent in the studio together, or the various texts sent during their off-time, they never found themselves alone quite like this. Too many times, they found that their schedules just never lined up properly, leading to many late nights texting and daydreams of an afternoon out together.

And really, a cool summer afternoon in Parisian September was just the sort of time and place Ruby and Vivica both enjoyed. There’s something sad and nostalgic about seeing the last few days of summer rush by, especially when the new school year had just begun, and everyone had long returned to work after vacationing. Granted, Ruby didn’t really have  _ that  _ much of a vacation while interning that summer, but Penny and Jagged had been kind enough to allow her to go on the Summer Sesh trip, and her weekends were still free.

Still, she had gotten used to seeing the studio busy, even with the few members of the team, either writing out their songs or recording in the studio, planning out events and appearances, and brainstorming content to make for their social media profiles. Now that Kitty Section (and Marinette) were back in school, that really only left her, Vivica, Penny and Jagged, and Penny had been rather busy for the past couple of days trying to set up interviews so they could finally expand the staff.

Which meant that Ruby often found her morning hours often entertained by Vivica. Many of those hours consisted of Vivica writing out her songs while playing a few chords, making Ruby her test audience as she shuffled through various tasks for the day. She had never been much of a morning person, but knowing that she could walk to her desk in the morning to Vivica tuning her guitar and offering her a cup of coffee was enough to get her out of bed in the morning.

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” Ruby sighs, “Remember that outfit evil me wore?”

“You mean the red pants and denim button up? Those were cool, but I think you’re going to have to play it up a bit more than that. I get the feeling that the Agrestes are allergic to denim. We  _ could  _ find a sharp looking blazer in red, and some black slacks.”

“That sounds more like I’m getting ready to get ready for a business meeting.”

“If you accessorize it right, it won’t,” Vivica points out, “Hell, we could trick you out to look like a rock star.”

“Ooh, I don’t know if I wanna go  _ that  _ far,” Ruby muses, “I’ll leave the spotlight to you.”

Vivica muses to herself quietly, stealing glances at Ruby every now and then. Despite how frequent they were, they never ceased to throw Ruby off guard from how intense they were. It lead her to wonder just what Vivica saw when she looked at her.

“Well, there will still be plenty of stuff that will work for you,” she finally says, taking her hand, “The Agrestes won’t even know what hit them!”

Allowing herself to be pulled along, Ruby struggles to match pace with Vivica, who is surprisingly quick on her feet for someone so seemingly chill. Somehow, she has a feeling that by the time that they stopped running, she would be out of breath.

“Don’t forget about that coffee!” Ruby shouts, “I have a feeling I’m going to need it after this.”

Vivica laughs, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short Ruby interlude, expanding on her relationship with Vivica.
> 
> It came to my attention that the ML wiki states Vivica to be around 13-15 years of age. I'm not entirely sure how accurate that is, but when I first wrote Vivica into the story, I imagined she would be around university age (probably 19 or 20 years old). Desperada hadn't aired yet, so it gave me more leeway to do what I wanted with both the character (which included making her cousins with Colette, a background character) and plot. I don't plan on retconning that to match canon, since I've been ignoring a decent chunk of canon anyway, but just know that Ruby and Vivica are both the same age in this AU (again, 19 or 20)!
> 
> Anyway! Ruby's outfit will be revealed at the party. And oh, what fun the party will be...


	11. Sociophobia

Marinette gives herself one more glance over in the mirror, making sure she is absolutely spic and span. Her dress consists of a high-low skirt in white, hovering over the ground thanks to her wedges. The top is black with lace detailing, and short sleeves, with her hair pulled into a neat braid and a pink ribbon woven through. Around her neck hangs the guitar pick Luka gave her all that time ago, on a silver chain. It matches the chain of her white clutch, which currently sits on the bed, ready to be packed.

The day of Adrien’s birthday party had finally arrived, and despite the amount of preparation that went into her outfit, and even using the smallest bit of make-up, she still finds her hands as clammy as they were last year, when she tried to give him her gift. She also finds herself hoping that she  _ doesn’t  _ end up running into him and encountering an awkward situation, and immediately feels bad about it. It  _ was  _ his birthday, so the least she could do was wish him well, but she couldn’t help but worry about all the ways the party could have gone wrong.

_ All of the regular holders will be there. All of them now have the ritual powers, which means we can hide ourselves from the security cameras if we need to.  _

But for as many assurances that she has, there’s just as many wild cards. First, Felix. No doubt he would use the party as an opportunity to gossip (or “collect information” as he would prefer to put it), and start piecing together things about her and Kitty Section. Thankfully, she had Alya and Nino to combat that if need be.

There was Adrien himself. He could be considered more of a wild card than Felix, since Marinette had no idea how he would act at the party in the slightest, or what he would even want at that point. 

That was in clear contrast with Lila, who Marinette was surprised to hear was actually planning on attending the party. The past week and a half had been rather brutal to the girl, reputation-wise. Between getting caught hanging out with Sabrina and Chloe, there had also been her loss to Alix as class rep, and the backlash from Alya’s post debunking her lie about being friends with Ladybug. While Alya tried to draw as little attention as possible to Lila herself, and focus more on not making such claims about Ladybug in the first place, it had been impossible to avoid hearing comments that mocked Lila’s interview, asking if she had heard from Ladybug lately. 

Lila sobbed every time she heard such accusations, comforted only by Fleur’s presence or by falling into stride with Chloe’s entourage. And while the invitation to the Agreste party had been extended to everyone, Marinette heard rumors flying that Lila wouldn’t be going in order to avoid further “drama”. Only someone like Chloe could possibly have emboldened Lila to decide to come.

To be fair, Lila wasn’t the only one to receive backlash about the story. Alya herself received plenty of comments remarking how her response was too little, too late, or how she shouldn’t even have been blogging in the first place due to her lack of journalistic integrity. Some of them made fair points, but there had been enough comments out of line that were thankfully never published, thanks to Nino and Kagami’s help moderating.

Much like with Lila, there had been rumors surrounding Alya as to whether or not she would be attending the party. According to Nino, Adrien mentioned in passing that it might have been better that Alya skip the party, and they could do a smaller get-together later on. If it hadn’t been for Felix pointing it out, none of them would have learned that he wasn’t particularly fond of Alya’s corrections on the Ladyblog, especially because of how they affected Lila.

To say the least, the stage was certainly set for an akumatization that day.

“Marinette, you look great!” Tikki says cheerfully, flying inside her clutch, “I’m sure you’ll be the best dressed at the party!”

Laughing, she pats Tikki on her head, putting everything she needs away into her bag, and zipping it closed. “Thanks, Tikki. I need the optimism.”

\--

While Gabriel Agreste relented to throwing a party for Adrien and Felix, that didn’t mean it was going to be all fun and games. As soon as she and Alya arrive at the front gates, she runs into a familiar face; the Gorilla, holding a list of names in a clipboard, and pointing to a sign that indicated to flash their phones with the invitation on screen to him. With a nod of approval, he allows the two of them through without incident.

“That could have been worse,” Alya murmurs under her breath, “I’m surprised Gabriel himself wasn’t there with piercing eyes of judgment.”

Marinette holds her tongue, holding back a sardonic response of, “Come on, Alya, you know he’d only show up on a screen.” Especially since she realized that it wasn’t that accurate anymore. After all, how could she forget seeing him down at Prado Beach for Summer Sesh?

Instead, she clicks her tongue at Alya’s reservations. “He’s probably keeping to a schedule. Maybe he’s greeting an adult guest or debriefing with Kitty Section?”

Alya frowns. “That  _ would  _ make sense.”

They approach a labeled table that reads “Please place any gifts here. Thank you.” There are only a few, small boxes lined up on the surface, but all of them are neatly wrapped, as if the gift bearers feared Gabriel Agreste judging their skills to wrap boxes properly. 

She had to admit, getting a present for Felix was a whole lot easier than deciding what to give Adrien. At least with Felix, Marianne whispered in her ear that he was secretly a fan of anime such as  _ Detective Conan  _ and  _ Psycho Pass _ , which gave her the idea to draw a poster of the two casts combined. It wasn’t large, only big enough to be seen. Ultimately, not wanting to spend too much time on knitting something like she did last year, Marinette also decided to design a poster for Adrien in the same fashion. Thankfully, Nino was the one who had the secret intel that was Adrien’s favorite shows. From there, she rolled the posters up and sealed them inside cardboard tubes, wrapping them neatly in paper, and typed their thank you notes.

Reluctantly, she now places them on the table, next to the small packages Alya has, and heads over to the drink table, where Mylene, Mirielle and several others are gathered, nervously taking sips of their drinks. Despite the tension, at least one figure stands beaming and strong, ready to take the night by storm.

“Oh, there you are, Marinette,” Aurore says, throwing a hand over her shoulder, “I can’t thank you enough for helping me with my outfit! I feel like an absolute superstar in this!” She twirls in a small circle, showing off her white button up dress and sandals. A pale blue ribbon is cinched at the waist, and like Marinette, she carries a clutch hanging on a chain, which sits on her shoulder. “Seriously, if I ever host my own talk show, I’m hiring you for wardrobe.”

“I’m glad you like it,” she says, pouring herself a drink. It turns out that the only thing that the Agrestes bothered to stock up on was mineral water, which she takes a small sip of. She takes another, more nervous gulp when she starts to see some fellow classmates take notice of Alya and casting her wary glares, before returning to their conversations. Her fingers curl tighter around the cup, almost crushing the surface of it.

“Um, hi, Marinette.”

For a moment, the world stops, and all Marinette hears is the sound of television static blaring in her mind. This wasn’t the first time she’s found herself at a loss for words when it came to Adrien, and the feeling of dread wasn’t new either. But being so painfully aware of it to the point where she was drowning in her own thoughts made her want to cry.

She summons the courage to give him a brief nod. “Adrien. Happy birthday.”

“Oh, yeah, thanks,” he says, laughing nervously, “I, uh, was afraid that you wouldn’t show up.”

Something about the way he laughs is not natural. It’s very easy to tell that there’s something he wants to say but is severely lacking in courage to do so. Admittedly, she’s not certain it’s a conversation she would have liked to have at this party, but she can only nod her head in response, and take a sip of her drink.

“What makes you say that?”

“Oh, just, uh,” he looks around at everything except her, “You know. I just haven’t seen you around much as of late. You always seem so busy.”

She shrugs. “I have been.”

“So busy that you won’t make time for friends?”

The irritation races across her face so quickly, she can  _ feel  _ him cringe and nearly stumble backwards. “I’ve been spending plenty of time with my friends. I haven’t ignored them at all.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“What are you insinuating?”

“Oh, uh, nothing,  _ nothing _ ,” he laughs, holding his hands up in defense, “Really, just forget about it.”

The little laugh of his causes her to scowl. Despite the anger boiling inside of her, it is with complete clarity that she says to him, “Stop doing that.”

He blinks, looking at her. “W-What?”

“I said,  _ stop  _ that. Stop being so passive-aggressive when talking to me. If you don’t like what I have to say, or if you have an issue, then you should either state it plainly to me or don’t talk to me at all. I deserve better than to feel like you’re pushing me around.”

Of course, she knows the  _ real  _ reason why he’s acting like this. Lacking the mask of Chat Noir to act as his most emboldened self, Adrien has to keep up public appearances and can’t say what it is he’s truly feeling. If this had been another day, another moment, maybe she would have felt bad for him.

He averts his gaze, looking down at his shoes. “It’s not easy for me.”

“Well, it’s not easy for me having to feel bad about something I don’t understand or agree with.” 

At the sound of guitar notes being played, she directs her gaze towards the stage, trying to focus only on the band and no one else around her. It’s clear from Adrien’s expression that he’s no longer content to attempt conversation with her, either, and will likely find means to escape from her at some point.

“Hi everyone!” Rose shouts into the mic, “We’re Kitty Section, and we’re here to rock Adrien and Felix’s party! We’re kicking it off with our latest single ‘Mellowmade!’”

Marinette allows herself a moment of reprieve from the social niceties, instead allowing herself to be absorbed by the song. Her head clouds with brief moments that could nearly bring a tear to her eye. The anxiety of trying to do everything right. The inevitable disappointment that came when things didn’t pan out the way she had hoped, even after so much time spent vicariously planning. The overwhelming exhaustion that came and hit her like a truck, time after time.

There’s a contentedness to her melancholy, as if kayaking down a calm river and floating in the middle of the water. As she meditates longer on the thought, she starts to feel more like the water itself, ever flowing and moving, and tumbling down an unknown path. It in no way frightens her nor excites her. It is simply moving to where it can go, and for now, there’s something relatable about that.

She becomes so lost in her meditative state, she doesn’t even notice when Adrien slips away into the crowd, nor anyone that follows him closely or from a distance.

\--

Kitty Section end up playing a couple more songs for their set, before giving a bow and granting their best wishes to Felix and Adrien. Unfortunately, neither one of them appear to be anywhere outside, leaving a bit of an awkward moment. And for that matter, Kagami and Nino were no longer in sight either. All the same, everyone gets off the stage and comes down to the party grounds to mingle, with a noticeable exception.

“Where’d Luka go?” Marinette asks, as she and Alya reconvene with the band.

“To the bathroom,” Juleka says with a sigh, “He realized  _ two minutes _ before we got onstage that he needed to go, but someone was already in there.”

The story  _ seemed  _ believable enough, but Marinette couldn’t help but wonder if it was just a cover for Luka to go in and scope out the place. Certainly, if he were to encounter both Felix  _ and  _ Adrien, there would be plenty to pick up on and overhear.

Stretching out her arms, Rose lets out a content sigh. “Well, now we can finally relax and enjoy the party!”

“Sure would be nice,” Ivan says, “Seems like everyone is stressing out about their presentation.”

“Everyone seemed to ease up a bit during your set,” Alya points out, “They’re probably just nervous about being around a famous celebrity as stern as Mr. Agreste.”

Doing another scan of the crowd, Marinette can see everyone has broken up into smaller groups. Ruby and Vivica settle into pleasant conversation with Aurore, Mirielle and Colette, Mylene and Alix hang out with Nathaniel and Marc in a quieter area of the front courtyard, and Chloe gathers her little clique at various locations to take photo ops. Despite being far away enough that Marinette  _ shouldn’t  _ be able to, she  _ is  _ able to hear Chloe loudly talking to her mother about a potential “business opportunity” for her and her friends. While she tries to ignore it best she can, she can’t help but wonder just what Chloe had in mind.

More people try to keep to themselves andnot to draw a lot of attention. Marinette can’t help but wonder if maybe the Space Patrol incident weeks before might have dampened people’s feelings about being at the mansion, but it would be rude to go around asking about it right now.

Everyone else is clueless to Marinette’s observations, however, at least as far as she can tell. Rose lets out a small, satisfied sigh. “Well, hopefully things stay that way. You know, the last few parties we’ve been to were all hijacked by Hawkmoth. Do you think he’ll give us a day off?”

Alya frowns. “I doubt it. Even if he did, I think something worse will come later.”

As if Mr. Agreste had heard Alya, he walks over to the stage, still littered with Kitty Section’s instruments, and taps onto the microphone, calling for everyone’s attention. 

“Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. I have an announcement to make.”

Complete and utter silence falls across the courtyard, leaving Marinette with a sudden chill running up her spine.

“Thank you. As you are all aware, I enacted a rather strict dress code for today’s festivities. I appreciate all of your attempts to dress for the occasion. But in truth, there was another reason why I was looking to see you all in your best dressed.”

Looking about the courtyard, Marinette tries to find the best place to hide and transform, in case his words decided to bring about chaos. Of course, she would need to use her civilian powers to camouflage herself, in case he decided to up the security from last time. But it’s difficult to tell from Gabriel’s blank expression what he plans on saying.

“At the end of November, I, along with various other designers, will be launching new collections for the Tsurugi Textile show. All our designs will be incorporating their fabrics into something chic and beautiful. And I am looking for models around your age for my new youth collection.”

An excited burst of giggles erupts through the courtyard, though it’s quickly settled down when Gabriel gives his signature half-sneer at the crowd, silencing them in fear.

“My associates and I have evaluated your outfits upon your arrival to decide whose face, personality and sense of style would be most befitting of the Agreste Brand. Out of everyone here, we’ve narrowed it down to a single candidate.”

Marinette can feel the overwhelming sense of excitement racing through the crowd, ready to explode in anticipation.

“Would Miss Lila Rossi please step onstage?”

Just as quickly as the crowd got revved up, they quickly wilted in disappointment. No one dares to say a thing and upset Mr. Agreste, but she can tell that they are no longer interested in paying any attention to the situation. Just the same as well, because as soon as Lila approaches the stage, Mr. Agreste steps off, handing her envelope and explaining some details in private, before allowing her to go about her merry way.

“That’s too bad,” Rose murmurs under her breath, “I would have loved to see you model in that show, Juleka.”

“I’ll just have to earn those opportunities,” Juleka replies, “I’ll prove I’ve got what it takes.”

“Such vigorous young people,” a familiar voice says, causing Marinette to jump in a panic. She almost relaxes when she sees that it’s only Mrs. Tsurugi, and even then, only a little bit.

Alya, on the other hand, looks rather relaxed, giving the woman a courteous smile. “It’s nice to see you again, Mrs. Tsurugi.”

“Ah, Ms. Cesaire. Have you been enjoying yourself so far?”

“Oh, of course! The performance was great and everything so far has been nice. Even the weather is just right.”

“Yes, Mr. Agreste was rather meticulous in his planning of this event. He vented to me quite a few times about making sure everything was just right. But enough about that. I’m glad to hear that you’re doing well.”

Marinette can’t help but look back and forth between Alya and Mrs. Tsurugi. It’s rather impressive how the two went from being on such uneasy terms, to Mrs. Tsurugi seeming rather…  _ fond  _ of Alya. And in such a short time period as well. She would have to ask Alya about it later. 

“Actually, Ms. Dupain-Cheng,” she says, clearing her throat, “I’ve been hearing quite a bit about you from Mr. Stone. He says that you were the one to design the jackets for Kitty Section, as well as help coordinate their outfits for today’s events?”

“Oh, yeah-”

“And you are also the one to design their album cover for their EP and future releases?”

“Well, yes-”

“And you’ve even designed a cover for Mr. Stone himself. Not to mention that Mr. Agreste had one of your pieces modelled in one of his shows not too long ago?”

She didn’t think it was possible for her cheeks to get so pink, but without even being able to see them, they feel as warm as a sunny day in August.

“All of these things are certainly to make you a strong candidate for the Gauguin Institute. But what if I told you there was one thing that could put you over the top?”

She’s a bit too stunned to reply at first, but she eventually finds the courage to do so. “And what would that be?”

The slightest trace of a grin crosses Mrs. Tsurugi’s face. “I want you to design a mini collection for my show, and show the world what you’re capable of making.”

Once again, she’s too stunned into silence to say anything.

“I realize that you’d be working on a bit of a time crunch, but I’ll be giving you a week’s time to give me your response. It should be enough time for your parents and lawyers to go through the terms of the contract and ensure that it’s reasonable. And of course, I’ll be providing the materials and any workspace you may need. I have models prepared for you, but if you have someone in mind to walk for you, please let me know and I can see about making further arrangements.”

“O-Of course,” Marinette finally manages to say, “I’ll let you know as soon as I can.”

“Very good. And of course,” she gives Juleka, Rose and Ivan a look over, “We’re in negotiations with Jagged to have you all perform at the show. I hope you’ll all be able to make it out. Please enjoy the rest of your time today,” she says with a nod, walking off to speak with Gabriel. 

It’s only for a brief second, but the entire world stops and her face lightens up. Before she can entirely process what’s going on with her though, she feels both Rose and Alya throw their arms around her in delighted shrieks.

“That’s amazing, Marinette!” Rose says, “You’re giving Gauguin more and more reasons to take you before you’ve even stepped foot inside!”

“Congratulations,” Alya says, giving her a small hug, “You’re really making strides towards your dream.”

“Thanks, you guys,” she says, fighting back a small tear at the corner of her eye. “But I haven’t been achieving this dream alone. I’ve had all of your help. So, I want to ask if you’ll continue to help me. Juleka, Aurore, Colette, would you like to be my models?”

Both Juleka and Colette’s faces light up, looking at each other with bright eyes before nodding their heads. Aurore lets out some happy clapping, bouncing in place, before grasping Marinette’s hands and letting out happy shrieks of “Yes, of course I want to!” After the blonde settles down a bit, she turns to Ivan. “Ivan, I’d also like if Mylene were one of my models too.”

“I’ll let her know,” he says with a brief nod.

“And Alya,” she says, “I’d like you to be in charge of photography. You know, helping me pick the best shots for Instagram.”

“No sweat. Leave it to me.”

For a moment, all feels right with the world. It doesn’t matter that Hawkmoth could have been waiting to strike at the party, that Adrien was off sulking somewhere, or that Gabriel had asked Lila to be a model in his show. Of course, that would mean more time spent trying to prepare a project on a deadline. So, she would have to make the most of this party before dedicating her time to such a serious collection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's funny that I got this chapter out in September, when I set Adrien's birthday for this month (the 15th to be exact). Fun fact: going by my own headcanon, both he and I are Virgos. I just realized this now.
> 
> Well, we have at least two interludes after this. I think the second one will be rather interesting to watch unfold. Quite a few key players will be involved. I'm curious to hear what you guys think might happen ;)
> 
> Also, we're now officially a third of the way through this arc. I mean, so long as I stick with the original plan for this. Anything could change.


	12. Light Against Your Face

_ “Flowing in the air, pulling through the land, thoughts come and go into the night.” - Slow Thrills by Bowery Electric _

\--

Her first full week as class rep is barely over when Colette is thrown into the chaos of responsibilities. Mostly, it comes down to meetings with the other class reps, preparing for events and advocating for materials needed by the rest of class on a day to day basis. But Colette quickly finds herself also looking out for the general well-being of her fellow classmates at social events.

To be fair, the Agreste party is so far the only event for this to be happening. Nonetheless, it  _ is  _ a major gathering with plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong. Thankfully, Aurore and Mirielle are there to help keep an eye out for things, and while not knowing Kagami that well, she knows that the girl wouldn’t go out of her way to sabotage anything. 

Vivica being there also helps. Parties were always her thing, and she’s not afraid to make a statement in bright gold pants, platforms and lots of dangly jewelry. Ruby is a bit more muted in comparison, wearing a white button-up underneath a gray vest, which she pairs with a red necktie and a silver watch. Her black slacks are perfectly tailored to ankle-length, and her dark hair is slicked back. From what Vivica told Colette, this wasn’t Ruby’s typical style, so it was interesting to see her like this.

From the corner of her eye, she spots a late Wayhem, who clearly ran all the way from his place, trying to get into the party. However, even with the bodyguard’s back turned, she can tell he’s regarding Wayhem with a stern look, as Wayhem bounces in place, waving his hands about frantically. “I swear the invitation is on my phone! If you just let me in to use a charger, I can prove it!” he shouts, only earning a disapproving grunt in return.

But the thing that concerns her the most is the appearance of a black and purple butterfly flapping in the wind, heading in their direction.

Both Aurore and Mirielle hardly talked about their experiences being akumatized. But they did tell Colette one thing, and that was that they both saw a purple butterfly fly toward them before disappearing into an object. Ever since Summer Sesh, Colette kept her eyes out for those butterflies, and intended to stop them in their tracks if she could. 

_ Not today, Hawkmoth. _

“Hey, Wayhem!” Colette yells, hoping to break up the conflict. “Did you say your phone was dead? I thankfully have a portable charger with me.”

His eyes light up brighter than the Eiffel Tower at night, and he begins bouncing in place. Taking him to the side, she pulls it out, and plugs it into his phone. It takes a minute or two, but his screen pings back to life, allowing him to open his messages and show the bodyguard his invitation. With a small grunt, the bodyguard allows Wayhem to pass.

Grasping her hands, Wayhem says excitedly, “Thanks, Colette! You’re already a better class rep than I ever would have been.”

Before she can say anything, he’s off racing toward the festivities, trying to catch up on what he’s missed out on. No doubt, he’ll eventually start to track Adrien down, but that potential catastrophe could be pushed aside for now.

That still leaves the manner of the butterfly. It probably isn’t wise to make everyone panic about it flying about, but she couldn’t say  _ nothing  _ either. It’s in her contemplative state that she bumps into Marinette.

“Oh, hey again,” she says cheerfully, “Listen, I really appreciate you agreeing to model for my collection in the show. I know as class rep you’ll be busy with everything going on, but I’ll try and work with your schedule.”

“Um, thanks, Marinette,” she says, “Listen, I have a question. Like, hypothetically… if you saw a butterfly that causes people to turn into akumas, what would you do?”

Her eyes widen in alarm. “What would I…  _ do _ ?”

“Yes, as a former class rep?”

“Oh, well,” she bites her lip, “Actually, Alya showed me a workaround for it, which allowed the butterfly to be caught and for no one to be the wiser. Give me about ten minutes, and just try to keep everyone calm, and I can have it handled.”

“Oh,” she says, rather surprised, “Thanks, Marinette. Um, I saw it fly  _ that _ way,” she says, pointing towards the back, near a butterfly mosaic.

“Alright, thanks Colette! I’ll be back in a bit.”

Colette swears she sees the smallest flash of light pulsing from Marinette’s wrist as she runs off, but for all she knows, it could just be a bracelet or other piece of jewelry reflected from the sunlight. Besides, she was caught off guard from seeing the akuma nearly take Wayhem. Deciding to push the thought aside for the time being, she heads over to the dance floor, where Aurore is encouraging Mirielle to follow her lead, and Mirielle tries not to stumble over her two feet. Sighing, Colette intervenes and begins to show Mirielle simpler moves to be a bit more confident in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to make sure at least one of these party chapters happened on the day I set as Adrien's birthday.
> 
> I think most of you have guessed what the next chapter is going to be like. My question is, whose POV do you think it will be in?


	13. There's No Such Peace

_ “Surgeon's hands, the only way to free him from the one he begs, will disappear.” - Hunted by Pale Saints _

\--

Despite coming down these halls a few times before, Nino has never managed to shake the feeling of inferiority and smallness as he walks down the corridor. The Agreste "aesthetic" had this way of sinking into the eye of the beholder, and striking fear into the very core of your being, leaving you to feel like there was always a cold eye watching over you. Always judging your every move.

And Nino thought  _ Chloe _ was mean.

If he had asked himself months ago, he would have brushed it off as nerves. Funny how time and insider knowledge could change things.

Adrien stops at the foot of the staircase, looking up to see Felix at the top, with a carefree, smug look on his face. Nino doesn't know the details of Felix and Adrien's relationship, but he is familiar with that look; it's the same look his younger brother pulls on him when he's about to sneak into his room and steal something or otherwise ruin Nino's day within the hour. Most likely by breaking something and then telling their mom it was  _ his _ fault.

"Already tired of gallivanting about?" Felix inquires, "Figures as much."

"I just wanted to talk to Nino," Adrien huffs, "It's not as if  _ you're _ the life of the party."

"I was expecting that you would naturally pick up the slack. You always do, after all."

"Maybe I didn't  _ want _ to."

The reply is quiet but Nino can feel the shaking fury in Adrien's voice. His words are crystal clear, and there is no means of mishearing them. But Bino isn't sure if Adrien meant for either of them to hear it.

"Oh? Is the golden boy finally breaking the rules?"

"I'm not  _ like _ you!" Adrien shouts before covering his hand over his mouth, as though he swore in front of his father.

"I never insinuated such a thing," Felix snorts, before looking at Nino, a curious smirk apparent, "Did I?"

"Dude, whatever your beef is," Nino warns, holding his hands up, "it's not my business."

"Strange. You were rather quick to confront him when that liar and the heiress were fighting."

"I'm not some attack dog," Nino retorts, "I'm not going to fight you."

Felix raises an eyebrow at this, smirking, and then looks to Adrien. "See? You can't have everyone fight your battles for you."

"I didn't ask him to," Adrien grumbles, looking down at his feet.

"No, but you were expecting him to, weren't you? Just like with Chloe, when we were kids?"

"Do we have to do this right now? Nino has nothing to do with...  _ whatever _ your problem is."

"No, actually. I think it's important for your friends to see you for who you really are. Don't you think so, Kagami?"

Entering from the opposite side of the foyer, Kagami regards the three of them with a long, hard look. "I hope you didn't send me a text as some sort of prank, Felix."

"I'm perfectly well-aware of the consequences. Unlike certain people, I don't toy with other's emotions."

No one responds to that statement, but Nino frowns. It's clearly aimed at Adrien, but Nino can't be confident in the latter half of the statement. He  _ can _ be confident in deducing that Felix was a trained actor though, judging from his smug-looking expressions.

"If that's the case, then why did you summon me?"

His smirk grows. "I have a theory. And I'd like to share it with all of you."

"Why not just share it with everyone, then?" Adrien retorts.

"I'd like to think I'm better than that. Honestly, I'm not  _ Chloe _ . This will just stay among ourselves."

If his words are meant to be comforting, then Nino doesn't want to know what Felix would say when trying to disarm someone. He bites into the corners of his mouth, folding his arms, and turning slightly so that his shoulder points at Felix. Kagami's positioning isn't dissimilar to his own, though she doesn't turn away from Felix.

"This sounds like utter foolishness to me," Kagami remarks. 

"Oh, believe me, you'll be hearing quite a bit of it. Like, did you know?" Felix asks, pacing down to the three of them, "Lila Rossi was selected to be Uncle Gabriel's model long before today."

Nino frowns. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I suppose we'll miss the big announcement," Felix says with a sigh, "Uncle intended to hold a contest among the guests to invite one of them to model for his show. In actuality, it's all a ploy to get Lila to model for him without looking suspicious."

"Why would my father bother with all of that?" Adrien asks.

"Well, because he isn't just asking her to model for him. But for the Tsurugi Textile Show. He had to make a big deal about it in front of your mother, Kagami."

She frowns. "So he selected Lila despite knowing the role she played in several...  _ incidents _ ?"

"Interesting, isn't it?"

"How do you know about this anyway?" Nino asks, "Were you spying or something?"

"I have my ways. I mean, it's not my fault if I happen to be walking by when Uncle Gabriel happens to mention such things to his secretary. I have to say, I would highly recommend eavesdropping on more of his conversations. They're more interesting than his face would indicate."

"Felix, you really shouldn't do that," Adrien argues, "You know he has security cameras everywhere," he says, this time his voice being a little lower.

_ Oh. Yeah, that would explain the creepiness of this place. _

"I wouldn't worry so much about it," Felix shrugs, "He won't do anything to me even if he finds out."

It's a rather strange statement for him to make. Nino can only conclude that Felix's folks were super chill or would just let him off the hook. That's even before he looks to Adrien, who now wears a pretty spiteful expression.

"Yeah. He won't do anything to  _ you _ , I forgot," Adrien scoffs, "Sorry, it's just hard when I have to worry about him scrutinizing my every move. Last year, he wouldn't even let me have a birthday party, and he banned Nino from the house when he tried to argue my case! This year, it only happened because  _ your _ mother  _ insisted _ that we have a formal gathering."

"So you admit it. You have no spine."

"That's not what I-"

"Then how else do you explain your treatment of Kagami here? She’s supposedly your friend, and yet, you have no problems with defending Lila, the ultimate Drama Queen, straight to her face. How…  _ fascinating _ .”

“I didn’t  _ want  _ any of that to happen!” Adrien objects, “But the last time Lila got akumatized, she was really dangerous! I didn’t want to risk that again!”

“So you risked Kagami getting akumatized instead? Someone equally as dangerous?”

This earns Felix a hard glare from Kagami. “I don’t appreciate my personal business being brought up so casually in front of me, Felix.”

“Wait a second,” Nino interrupts, “What happened the last time Lila was akumatized?”

“I’m curious to know as well,” Felix comments, “The last time happened to be her akumatization into Volpina, correct?”

Adrien bites his lip. “Y-Yeah...”

“You’re lying.”

Adrien hangs his head in shame, looking away as if that would allow him to avoid answering the question. Nino doesn’t even need to look to know that Kagami looks on in complete, raging disapproval, while Felix smiles as if to say “checkmate”. 

“Dude,” Nino asks quietly, “Was Lila akumatized into another form? 

The conversation comes to a dead halt as a pair of footsteps approach the group from down the hall. With his hands stuffed into his pockets and whistling a familiar tune, Luka strolls down the hall, giving the group a brief glance over before heading toward the door. He doesn’t make it two steps past them before Felix calls out for him.

“Luka Couffaine. How nice to see you again.”

Luka gives him a brief nod of acknowledgement. "Nice to see you too." He turns away again, looking to move toward the door.

"Are you enjoying yourself so far?" Felix asks, stopping Luka in his tracks yet again, "I know you must have been busy preparing for today's performance."

"It's nothing that I'm not used to."

"A great performance by the way. Although, I'm curious..." he gives a glance over to Adrien, "Adrien mentioned performing with you guys before. Wouldn't today have been a perfect time for a reunion performance?"

" _ Stop _ it, Felix," Adrien hisses, "It's not that big a deal."

"I'm just curious. You're the one who's acting like it's a big deal. So, tell me," he turns back to Luka, "Did you guys kick him out of the band?"

"It's not like that!" Adrien objects, "I've just been busy, especially with modeling, and I know Father would-" he pauses mid-sentence, "Er, I've just had a lot going on."

"Because of Uncle? You know, I do recall him not particularly caring for rock music. Maybe he thought you were embarrassing the brand by participating in such activities. Uncle Gabriel was always a stick in the mud like that. It makes me wonder how he could ever have enough artistic ambition to be a fashion designer.”

“Listen,” Luka says, “This sounds a whole lot like family drama I don’t want to be involved with. If you don’t need me for anything, I’d like to go enjoy the rest of the party.”

“I would actually like to do the same,” Kagami adds, “So if either of you could answer your friend’s question,” she says, gesturing to Nino, “What happened to Lila Rossi the last time she was akumatized?”

Felix smirks. “Yes, Adrien. Please do answer that. When  _ was  _ the last time Lila Rossi was akumatized?”

He bites his lip. “It was the first day she came back to school. I think… she was akumatized into Chameleon? I don’t really remember too much. She, uh, disguised herself to look like me, but in doing so, she knocked me out.”

A memory of Adrien coming up to him, stealing his hat, and saying that they weren’t friends flickers in Nino’s mind. Later that day, Adrien sat down with him when the class took back their original seats, with no discussion of the prior incident.

“Interesting,” Felix comments, “She took on your persona, doing who knows what, and yet, you were still content to defend her against Kagami’s accusations.”

“What are you-”

“And so, we’ve established a pattern,” Felix sighs, “Adrien, you have such a difficult time drawing boundaries.”

“Wha- And you think what you’re doing right now is helping?” Adrien demands, “You’re forcing me to answer these sort of personal questions in front of people who have nothing to do with this!”

“Don’t they though? These are all people that are affected by  _ your  _ decisions. Or rather, your  _ lack  _ of decisions. Well,” he gives a glimpse over at Luka, “With a substitution.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about your disgusting tendency for passiveness,” Felix says with a little yawn, “I don’t understand how all these people could choose to be your friends when you don’t choose to stand with them. You seem to cower to the opinion of those that don’t mean you well.”

“That’s easy for  _ you _ to say!” Adrien snaps, “Your mom doesn’t threaten to take you out of school if you make just  _ one  _ bad decision! You don’t have to constantly worry about your image being ruined if you say something even  _ slightly  _ negative! And you don’t have to constantly worry about trying to prevent people from being akumatized!” 

Everyone pauses as a yo-yo comes hurling towards Adrien's face, before returning to Ladybug and releasing a white butterfly and flying off. For a moment, no one moves, as they all gape at the development that had just occurred. 

“L-Ladybug,” Adrien finally manages to utter, “Y-You were-”

“Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise?” Felix interrupts, giving a small round of applause, “Did my uncle arrange to have you come and visit, Ladybug?”

“Nothing of the sort. I heard of trouble in the neighborhood, and figured I should intervene before things got out of hand,” she answers swiftly. A silence falls over the rest of the room, before Ladybug gives a brief nod. “I have other matters to attend to. Please enjoy the rest of your party.”

And just as quickly as she had arrived, Ladybug swings out of the hall of the Agreste Mansion, with not even the curious Felix able to stop her in her tracks with his questions. Not that he attempts to, strangely enough. Perhaps even  _ he  _ knew better than to do that at this time.

He doesn’t stay quiet for long though.

“Interesting. It seems I’ve touched a nerve.”

“You’re the  _ absolute _ worst, you know that!?” Adrien yells, much to everyone’s shock, before running up the stairs, past his cousin, and retreating to his room. Nino can only shake his head at Felix as he follows Adrien up the stairs, hoping he can think of something to say to calm Adrien down before another akuma can come.

By the time he gets to Adrien’s bedroom, the door has already been slammed shut.

“Uh, dude?” Nino asks, knocking on the door.

“What, are you going to yell at me too?” Adrien huffs.

“Uh, no. I know you’re mad, but I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t take it out on  _ me _ .”

There’s a pause. “I’m sorry.”

“What was that about anyway?”

“It’s just Felix’s way of calling me out. He’s always thought me ‘weak’ just because I don’t go around breaking the rules all the time, like he does. He just,” he sighs, “He doesn’t get it. My Aunt Amelie always doted on Felix and just let him do what he wanted. Even his dad encouraged his talents, and he was always far scarier looking than my own dad. They didn’t have nightmare inducing expectations put on him the same way my parents did.”

Nino might not have had rich,  _ famous _ parents, but he’s certainly familiar with  _ expectations _ . While Chris did get immense social skills and anger management therapy, he was still prone to moments of lashing out and getting Nino in trouble. Sometimes, Nino wondered if he did all of it on purpose and felt like lashing back out in response. Or if he started doing it more when Nino stopped using bubbles as a means of helping him to calm down. Ever since he had been akumatized, he couldn’t get anywhere near bubble solution without thinking about what he had done as The Bubbler.

But this was not something that would have occurred to Chris. In his mind, his brother decided to just stop playing bubbles just to spite him. To be fair, explaining his akumatization was something that Nino struggled with, and that really, only those who were akumatized could understand. Trying to explain to Chris, who could easily misunderstand quite a few things, was frustrating to say the least. 

Still, if Chris was ever going to learn and thrive in his environment, Nino had to learn to try and set a decent example for him. To stand up against what wasn’t right, even if that meant going against his friends at times. 

“Yeah, I get it,” Nino sighs, “Your dad is, uh, kinda extra when it comes to that. But dude, as poorly as Felix presented his point, it’s still kinda valid.”

“Are you taking  _ his _ side?” 

“I mean, Kagami’s mom from what I hear is strict and has high expectations for her. And I’m sure you’re not the only one worried about causing someone to get akumatized,” Nino points out, “And, uh, even if you have a thing for Lila, you have a right to tell her when she’s being too handsy. Celebrity or not, you have limits and you gotta stand up for those, and respect when your friends have them too.”

“But…” he pauses, “What if it ends up causing an akuma? Lila has already been akumatized twice, and I was involved  _ both  _ times.”

“It sounds like if she’s getting akumatized over something like that, then she needs help far beyond your capabilities, dude,” Nino says, “There are therapists for stuff like that. Your job ought to be looking out for yourself and knowing when to say no.”

“But if I say no, I’m just going to end up disappointing someone. Probably my father. I was lucky he let me go back to school after taking his precious book. Who knows what he might do if I give someone a hard time just because I’m uncomfortable. And I’m a model, I have to be okay with uncomfortable things anyway.” 

Nino can’t help but get just a  _ little  _ heated at hearing that. “That’s complete bull and you know it. If your dad is okay with letting people walk all over you for the sake of business,  _ he’s  _ got the real issues. Besides, you can’t make everyone happy all the time, anyway.”

For a long moment, there’s a pause. Nino wishes Adrien would open the door to let him see his face, and get an idea of what he was thinking. If he has to guess, Adrien is likely staring at his feet, or looking away from the door with a guilty expression, contemplating what he has just heard. While things are quiet like this, Nino summons the courage to say something else. 

“And Adrien?”

“Yeah?”

“You gotta lay off Marinette,” he says decisively, “You keep trying to push her into doing something she doesn’t want to, and disrespecting her like that.”

“I’m only trying to help!” he protests, “She’s been pretty mean lately, brushing off my suggestions! If she keeps up that attitude, she or someone could get akumatized!”

“Have you asked why she might seem ‘mean’ lately?” 

There’s no answer to that.

“Look, I’m no therapist, and I can’t fix your life for you,” Nino continues, “But as your friend, I can’t just sit around and let you disrespect our friends, or yourself like this. I get your old man puts unreasonable pressure on you, and that sucks. But, like, if your Aunt Amelie is more chill, maybe you ought to reach out to her? Tell her what’s going on, so you can start chilling and taking some control back over your life.”

Another silence falls between the two of them.  _ This is it _ , he thinks to himself,  _ this is either gonna make or break him. _

“I guess… I never really thought about it that way. I never wanted to cause drama or anything for my father. Especially after my mother passed away… Um, I think I need some time to think about what you said. I… I’ll come out later to talk to everyone else. I’ll text you when I’m ready.”

“Sure, okay,” Nino says with an awkward nod. He turns to start moving back towards the stairs, peering over to see that Ladybug, Luka, Kagami and Felix have already disappeared. But Adrien’s meek voice pulls him back in for just a moment.

“And Nino?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, FINALLY, this chapter is done. This was definitely one of most conversation heavy chapters I've had to write, and we will be covering more of it next time, which will also be the beginning of the Gauguin arc.
> 
> So. Let's briefly talk about Adrien. 
> 
> The boy hit his worst point back in "All the Laughs". And there was quite a bit of stumbling in "Bottle". But if there's anything we could take away from this AU's version of "Oblivio," it's that Adrien *could* be capable of letting go of those he cared for. He *has* the potential to become that person.
> 
> His journey to become that person? Well, that's another story altogether. 
> 
> I never really wanted to make Adrien *evil* per se. I mean, I took him down that road for "Bewitched/Bewildered" because that particular AU called for it, and I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't the least bit tempted to take it there. 
> 
> Here? Not as much. Certainly, he's pretty messy and spiteful and it's going to take a lot of work for him to set things right in his life. Marinette is not going to so easily forgive him after everything, and then there's also Kagami. The boy has a lot to consider going forward.
> 
> Oh, and yes, Nino gets another shining moment here. I had planned this before hearing about what he and Alya do in the special (I have not watched it, and I have no plans to, but I've heard spoilers), and now I'm extra glad he gets to have this conversation with Adrien. 
> 
> Now, that isn't to say that what Felix does here is completely in the right, and we'll get to see more on what happened after Nino and Adrien left next time. 
> 
> And now that this act is over, I will now reveal all the next acts following "The Gauguin Interview". I was going to save the last act for later, but I think it'll be too obvious, and the next act is pretty short anyway. Act IV will be the "Ladybug" mini-arc (as in, covering the plot of the episode "Ladybug), Act V will be the "Dreameater" mini-arc (which is the one I'm most excited for tbh), and the last act will cover the fashion show.


	14. The First Time I Realized I Could Change the World

“ _ I think it was the first time I realized that I could change the world, or at least change the way my sister hit the clock on every tick just to see what happened. The time has really flown by I guess and it's hard to think of the way it might've been, or remember very specifically the words and all the rest of it” - Kick the Tragedy by Drop Nineteens _

\--

Sabine Cheng is in her late forties, happily married for nearly twenty years, and now prepares herself to take her fourteen year old daughter to a major interview for her  _ lycée _ of choice.

Cooking and baking ran in the Cheng family for generations. But while Sabine loved her hometown of Shanghai, and felt she learned plenty in the culinary arts, she was born with some wanderlust. It turned out to be a pretty common trait in the Cheng family, as her Uncle Wang had also spent many years outside of China, all for the sake of learning new seasonings and techniques for his recipes. It had actually been with his encouragement that Sabine decided as a young adult to further her studies outside of the country.

When she first arrived in Paris, the world felt shiny and new. Sabine was finishing her education in culinary school, gaining a much better understanding of a new language, and had a lovely new city to explore at her leisure. All of it culminated in her meeting the love of her life, a lover of food like herself, with a goofy, warm personality to top it off. The only thing that worried Sabine was the meeting of his family.

Much to her relief, Gina Dupain loved her almost immediately. She didn't mind Sabine's imperfect French (turns out she was an Italian immigrant, and travelled quite often, so her French wasn't entirely accurate either), loved the suggestions she made for certain recipes, and was glad to have someone tell her enough about China to get her excited enough to travel there herself. Sabine couldn't have asked for a better mother-in-law.

Tom meeting her own family was a quiet, uneventful affair, by comparison. Her parents initially worried about the cultural and language barrier. They were not capable of making conversation with Sabine’s boyfriend that well, and were worried that his values did not align with their own. However, when they saw Tom and Wang getting along and making bread together, as well as Tom’s dedication to learning and understanding Sabine’s customs and language, they eased up on him and gave the couple their blessings.

Everything couldn't be perfect, though. Tom's father, Rolland, had been far from accepting, unlike his ex-wife. He didn't like the idea of his Italian-French son dating a Chinese woman. Rolland wanted grandchildren with tufts of brown or blonde hair, not the jet black that Marinette would be born with. He wanted Tom's future wife to be uncomplicated, and to run the house while Tom ran the business. When Tom reluctantly brought Sabine to Rolland, and she mentioned them working the bakery together, Rolland had a legendary fit that nearly drove his son to tears.

They hadn't spoken since.

Tom had wanted a son when Sabine first got pregnant to prove that he could have a better father-son relationship than he did with Rolland. But he couldn't help but love his daughter the day she was born on that miraculous March day, swearing to be a better father for her regardless.

"Mom!" Marinette yells, coming down the stairs, "I'm ready!"

Marinette is fourteen now, soon to be fifteen in March. She is full of passion and energy, meant to be spent on creative pursuits. While she had no complaints about growing up as a baker’s daughter, Sabine knew that Marinette’s ambitions lay elsewhere, and that today’s trip would be a major step forward in that pursuit.

There's still an hour left before they really need to leave. Knowing her daughter is prone to forgetfulness when under stress, Sabine asks, "You have everything packed? Your copy of your portfolio? Your file of recommendations? Your invitation?"

"Yes, yes and yes," she declares, plopping her bag near the door, "Packed everything last night, and took photos with my phone to assure it's all there."

Sabine nods, and delivers her daughter's breakfast to her, watching as she nonchalantly finishes the dish and stretches her arms upwards. "Thanks, that was delicious."

"Oh, you're welcome," Sabine says, trying to clean the dishes as quickly as possible so she can gather her own things. "I'll be ready in a little while. You have the address ready?"

“I texted it to you, and have it plugged on my phone! Plus, my orientation folder has it printed on the front,” she says, flashing her bag before plopping it down at her seat. “I’m just going to freshen up in the bathroom before we go!”

Sabine sighs, shooting a soft smile in her daughter’s fleeting direction, before inspecting herself in the mirror and assuring herself that she was set to go. She can hardly believe that she’s there, in that particular moment. How long ago had it been since she and Tom brought Marinette home from the hospital? When was the last time they had to change her diaper, or checked under her bed for a monster? How did Marinette go from such a small little girl to a prospective student at a prestigious arts school?

It wasn’t even  _ that  _ long ago when Sabine undertook a similar journey. She wondered if her daughter would stay happily rooted in Paris, or if she would branch out somewhere else in the world. The Gauguin Institute  _ did  _ offer programs and semesters abroad, with their New York summer program doing the best out of all of them. And if she had read the program correctly, they would be opening up new opportunities to study in Shanghai as well.

_ It  _ is  _ a shame that I’ve never been able to take Marinette there _ , Sabine thinks to herself sadly,  _ I’ve never even asked if she would be interested in seeing the city for herself, let alone if she would want to go and visit with me. Perhaps they’ll mention it during a panel, and I can bring it up with her. _

In total, it takes them about half an hour to finish preparing everything, head out the door, and take the subway all the way to the Gauguin Institute. The building starts to fill up with prospective students, their parents, and various members of the staff and student body, acting as tour guides. The building itself is far grander than Sabine could have expected looking at the pamphlet - it’s nearly as tall as Le Grand Paris, but far plainer in facade. Or perhaps, humble was a more befitting word.

Walking inside the building is another story altogether. The floor of the main foyer is intricately tiled and polished, almost gleaming under the light of the sun. The walls are finely carved, but completely plain. Works from the student body hang on wheeled panels, listing the student’s name, grade and the name of the piece. There are large, black doors with windows that lead into what Sabine suspects to be the auditorium, centered just across from the entrance doors.

Everyone is escorted inside for a brief presentation about the school, how the interview will work, and setting up times for the parents to tour the school with their children. Anarka looks a bit bored by that last bit, most likely able to give a tour of the school herself, but says nothing in response to it.

Finally, the presentation ends, and all of the prospective students are gathered to the front of the auditorium, guided out by older students, toward their interviews.

“There they go,” Rose’s father, Raphael, says, dabbing at his eyes, “My little girl… I know she’s going to rock that interview, and that’s not something I could have said a year ago.”

“Both your girl and mine have grown a bit of spine these past couple of months,” Anarka says with a hearty laugh, “Being in a band together has done them a lot of good.”

“And Ivan too,” Victor, Ivan’s father, chimes in, “I’ve noticed he’s been a lot less angry, and has better concentration. He’s still on the shy side, but he’s always been one to let his presence speak for him.”

They continue to laugh and exchange conversation as they make their way toward their tour guides. But as they leave, Sabine gives one last look over to Marinette.

So many years ago, she had been in the same position. The choice to leave Shanghai had been the most difficult and yet most rewarding to make, and she spent several nights lying awake and trying to come to the best decision. Now, when she tries to, she can’t imagine what her life would be like if she had chosen to stay. She still loved Shanghai, and she wanted to share that with Marinette. But the fact was that she wouldn’t have Marinette if she hadn’t come to Paris. 

_ The future is never certain. But it’s always something I look forward to. I wonder what awaits us next. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a bit longer than I would have liked, simply because halfway through, I realized it wasn't working. It wasn't supposed to be an interlude, but it WAS supposed to focus on Sabine. Once I switched to her POV, I found that it flowed a lot better. 
> 
> I do wish that I wasn't doing five interludes in a row, but it is what it is.


	15. Voices of Angels I Have Heard

_ “A prized possession without limitations. Behind these eyes, what do you see that isn't _

_ already yours?” - Already Yours by Curve _

\--

This it. Her big moment. Her time to shine.

_ Hello, Gauguin Institute. I'm here now. _

Despite the rough start that morning (nearly missing her alarm, and having to wear her starchy black and white ensemble), Rose walks to the gates of the Gauguin Institute wearing her most confident expression as a declaration of war.

Anarka mirrors her expression upon greeting her. No doubt she's confident because she's already done this trial and tribulation. "There's our little troublemaker. You ready to take the school by storm?"

Rose shoots her a cheeky grin, before exchanging an all-knowing glance with Juleka. Soon enough, both Ivan and Marinette join them, and they're escorted to the auditorium for the opening ceremony.

Rose finds herself barely able to pay attention to the opening speech. She's secretly always hated the "new chapter in the book of your life" speeches, though she never dared to let anyone know. It was such a petty thing to be bothered by, and sweet little Rose couldn't make that anyone's problem, now could she?

Still, she bares it, instead trying to focus on her answers for her interview, and projecting as much confidence into her answers as she can muster. Talking to people wasn't an issue for her, but messing up in a professional setting wasn't out of the question. 

Sure enough, the assembly flies by, and Rose finds herself in line, waiting for her interview. Everyone else in Kitty Section goes before her, and she can only agonize over seeing them leave the conference room with utmost confidence on their faces.

After what seems like forever, she is finally called in. Exhaling a sharp breath, she enters the room with what she hopes is serenity and calmness.

There are three people seated at a conference table. Two men, one clearly much older than the older, and a woman looking to be in between them, age-wise. They all wear finely tailored black jackets, with red ties, looking not unlike her mother's business associates.

“Ms. Lavilliant?” the older man asks. She replies with a quick nod. “Excellent. I have it here that you are currently a student at College Francois-Dupont?”

“Yes, sir.”

He takes a moment to mark something on her paper, giving it another glance over, before returning his attention to her. “Well, Ms. Lavilliant, it seems you’re the last of your band members we’ll be interviewing today. We’re rather impressed by your vocals, and how different they sound compared to your normal speaking voice.”

“Oh, thank you!”

“Would you mind singing for us a bit?”

Despite having prepared for the possibility, Rose is still caught off guard by the question. Biting her lip, she nods, hoping she doesn’t show the slightest sign of hesitation. There’s no doubt in her mind that “Mellowmade” is a song they want to hear her live vocals for, but it’s not a very lyric heavy song. It also used more of her speaking voice rather than her singing. So after giving them a sample, she switches to singing “I Love Unicorns”. She doesn’t want to risk singing one of their incomplete demos or the next single for the EP.

The rest of the interview questions are a breeze. They're more personal in nature, and Rose is all too happy to indulge details. It's far easier than thinking of what she wants to sing for them.

With the interview done, Rose lets out a sigh of relief after closing the door. Everyone is waiting for her in the main foyer, and she is all too excited to join them. When the festivities are over, the four families all decide to go out to eat at a restaurant nearby, and spend the evening enjoying a nice meal. Two hours after that, Rose returns home exhausted. 

With the day long gone and over, Rose pulls open her emails and begins to type away:

_ Dear Ali, _

_ I finally did it. Today was the big interview at the Gauguin Institute. Now, I have to wait until the end of November to hear my results. I mean, I still have to look at other schools as a back-up, but the process won't be as intense. _

_ As soon as we get back, we have a huge exam to worry about! Juleka already agreed to study with me (because she's the best!) but I can't afford to let my grades slip if I want to get in to the school of my dreams!! _

_ I'm glad you enjoyed "Mellowmade"! We don't usually go for sad songs but we wanted to make a statement against Hawkmoth! He capitalizes on all our negative emotions, and we want to take those back! He has no right to weaponize them against us! I can't tell what our next single will be, but it should be coming out soon.  _

_ Lila hasn't said anything else about you. She's been mostly quiet since the corrections on the Ladyblog were posted. Alya didn't mention Lila much by name, but she still discussed the post, which was going to give Lila attention one way or another! Alya is trying to be more careful now about what she posts, but I don't blame you for being worried. _

_ Our next big performance is at the Tsurugi Textile Show, which is when we're likely to do our first live performance of the next single. I'll try to send a video of it if I can!  _

_ Hope to chat again soon! _

_ -Rose _

Sending the message off, Rose collapses on her bed, spending the rest of the day humming the lyrics of the next single and generally relaxing.

_ There's still so much left to do. Better relax while I can. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This marks the end of the Gauguin mini-arc, but unfortunately, there's still one more interlude before we return to Marinette's POV. This one is going to be important for the set-up for the next act though, and we'll be getting a fresh perspective this time.
> 
> At this point, I'm going to reveal the set-up of the last three arcs:  
> IV: The "Ladybug" arc  
> V: The "Dreams" arc  
> VI: The "Tsurugi Textile Show" arc


	16. Blood Stream Cruel Dream

_ “In me you'll see, dirt flows freely. But you may find that my thoughts are unkind.” - Downer by Lush _

\--

Roger Raincomprix was not the sort of man who seemed to enjoy the quieter, more gentle aspects of life. He threw himself into his work, coming home at all hours of the night, and applying various aspects of his work into his normal life. Chores were scheduled regularly, locations were shared via text, and there was always a backup plan in mind for the many times Roger got pulled for a night shift. He often only bothered with what was practical and convenient, and didn’t often bother with anything that led to daydreaming.

But Roger was also a lover of poetry, and, at least with Sabrina, had no shame in sharing his hobby. Every night before bed, Roger used to read nature poems to a younger Sabrina, until she fell asleep. They didn't hold her attention very much, except for one that he actually wrote and shared:

_ "Admire the bends and breaks of the river/and the way water goes with the flow/reaching its destination with ease." _

It was the only line of the poem Sabrina could recall and that stuck with her. She often found herself going with the flow of things, as there was never really much she wanted. It was rather easy for her to get lost in her own mind and be indecisive. When she was given direction or told to do something, she did it, so long as the steps were easy to follow.

She had to admit, there were times where she could space out and forget what to do. Her father would ask her to make her bed, but then she would realize she hadn't dusted the room in weeks, or that something got stuck under the bed, and she would spend time cleaning up everything but the bed. When her father would get home, he would sigh a little, and help her make the bed. He never did yell at her, or say much of anything really, but as she got older, she began to wonder if maybe she disappointed him.

Then, she met Chloe. 

\--

It was their last year of primary school. Sabrina failed to make a single friend during her time there, and until that point, didn't even know Chloe existed. But they finally ended up in the same class together, and partnered for a group project.

Sabrina quickly learned that being partnered with Chloe for a project meant doing the research, the writing, and the construction of the project itself, while Chloe handled the presenting. She didn’t really mind that though, since she hated speaking in front of crowds, especially if she had no idea what to say.

Of course, all projects had to be done at the library or Le Grand Paris. Chloe absolutely refused to go and visit the homes of  _ commoners _ . Sabrina by no means was poor, but she quickly found herself severely lacking compared to Chloe. With her butler, Jean, ready to bring snacks and drinks at a moment’s notice, a swimming pool to lounge by on the top of the roof, and all sorts of VIP guests coming in and leaving at varying hours of the day, how could Chloe have been expected to settle for less?

And Sabrina didn’t really mind either. She didn’t have to fear Chloe seeing her messy room, the boring stacks of poetry books that sat in the living room, or her father’s horrible handwriting on the whiteboard schedule, dictating when chores needed to be done.

If only she had figured out sooner  _ why  _ she hadn’t wanted Chloe to see them.

\--

_ October 30, 2016 _

Things have slightly calmed down by the time their first school break arrives. The public’s outrage could only remain at its highest for so long, before they found other things to worry over. And with Chloe dragging Sabrina to several of her mother’s meetings and forcing her to bring them coffee like an intern would, it was rather easy for Sabrina to forget about the scandals as well.

Of course, it’s not a time to be slacking off. They still have exams that they’ll have to take some time after their arrival back. No doubt, Chloe will be complaining the whole time during their study sessions, but thankfully, that day is not today.

Today is a different sort of challenge.

Sabrina is used to being the only friend that Chloe invited for girl talk up in the loft. Most times, that meant doing Chloe’s homework, or her share of the project, but there are occasionally days where even Chloe would allow Sabrina to relax. They used to roleplay as Ladybug and Chat Noir, but that was no longer an option. So more recently, they would spend their afternoons going through catalogues of outfits that Chloe’s mom thought were hideous, making fun of how ridiculous they all were.

When it wasn’t just the two of them, they would be joined by Lila and Fleur. Sabrina wasn’t sure what to make of Chloe’s new interest in them, or rather, Lila specifically. Considering how both of them were walking PR disasters, Sabrina would think Chloe would want to stay as far away from Lila as she possibly could. 

(She herself wasn’t really sure how to end their friendship. It would have been for the best to walk away when she heard about Chloe’s stunt as Miracle Queen, but Ms. Bustier practically begged Sabrina with a glance to continue sitting near Chloe, and the rest was history. And besides, wouldn’t it be for the best if she could curb Chloe from being akumatized again by continuing to stick by her side?)

Today’s topic of conversation is not an unfamiliar one to their little circle. Every now and then, Lila mentions  _ something  _ pertaining to the Ladyblog, typically comments about how Alya betrayed her trust and ruined her. Usually, after she goes on a five minute rant about how much it hurt her, she apologizes and says something along the lines of “I know how  _ you  _ must feel, Chloe. Considering the way the press treats you.”

And sure enough, the conversation goes exactly the way Sabrina predicts. Of course, she’s smart enough to hold her tongue, but she’d be lying if she didn’t think the conversations got rather repetitive.

“Don’t you think it’s unfair?” Lila pouts, “I mean, how could they write such awful things about us? You had no control under Hawkmoth, and anyone else who’s been akumatized ought to know that. And Alya…” she sniffles, “How could she do  _ that  _ to me? Doesn’t she know what I’ve been through, moving to an entirely different country and struggling to fit in, only to be betrayed like this?”

At this point, Lila lets out a full sob that would cause any bystander to shrink up a little inside. Feeling a pang in her heart, Sabrina reaches out at the same time as Fleur to pat Lila’s shoulder. This appears to temporarily pacify her, though one look at Lila’s face gives Sabrina the impression that it’s not over.

Rolling her eyes, Chloe sighs.

“There isn’t really much we can do to change the minds of someone so…  _ persistent _ ,” Chloe says, taking a sip of her tea. “And it wouldn’t be just one or two people, you’d need to convince a whole lot of people she’s a bad apple.”

“What if I could prove that Alya was the liar?” Lila says, leaning over the table, “That she set me up to look like the bad guy. That  _ she’s  _ the one hiding secrets?”

Sabrina can’t help but let a little gasp escape. She didn’t really have anything against Alya as a person, the only reason the two of them not being friends was that Chloe didn’t like her (or Marinette for that matter). But Alya was perfectly civil to her, other than when Sabrina got involved with Chloe’s plans (which she was beginning to understand more and more why that was). 

But there’s absolutely no way that Alya could have been as nefarious as Lila was making her out to be. 

“I’d say I’d like to see you try.”

“I’ll prove it soon enough. Just don’t say anything to anyone. This stays among the four of us.”

Sabrina and Fleur look to each other with a nervous little gulp. Sabrina hated keeping secrets like this, even after years of having (and mostly failing) to keep them for Chloe. But looking over to Lila, Sabrina knows it’s best to simply nod her head and go along with the proposition for the time being. 

“I’m amused by this whole situation,” Chloe says with a little yawn, looking at her nails, “I’ll let you have your fun. But don’t think I’m going to go and get my hands dirty. It’s your scheme, 

“What? You’re not going to help your best friend with this?” Lila asks with a little pout, “Don’t you want to clear our names? Save our reputations?”

“Um,  _ hello _ , I already have a bunch of people keeping their eye on me, like, every other moment of the day,” Chloe points out, “You think me getting anywhere near Cesaire’s stuff wouldn’t draw any  _ more  _ suspicion?”

“And what about  _ me _ ?”

“Oh,  _ please _ . The way they talk about  _ you  _ versus the way they talk about  _ me _ , is laughable. Your name hasn’t been plastered all over the news like  _ mine _ has,” she huffs, swatting away her ponytail, “When you’ve been through what  _ I’ve  _ been through, then maybe you’d have a case. But until then? You’re going to have to do some of your own dirty work.”

For a moment, Sabrina catches Lila’s face twitch. If she had been paying more careful attention, perhaps she would have seen the most wicked glare brought to life, said only to be available to fairy tale witches. 

Instead, it becomes a minor detail she remains blissfully unaware of.

“Very well, Chloe. I see your point. I’ll just have to get to work on securing that lead,” she says with a little sigh, “I just hope that once I have the evidence, you really change your mind about helping me.”

“I make no promises. But who knows? Maybe I’ll be in the mood to humor you that day.”

Lila and Fleur leave shortly after that, Sabrina noticing a hint of worry on Fleur’s face. It’s an expression that Sabrina is all too familiar with. 

“Um, Chloe,” Sabrina asks meekly, “You don’t really think Lila is going to get Alya into trouble, do you?”

“Of course not,” Chloe snorts, “This is the moment we’ve been waiting for.”

“Wait, what? If Lila is lying, shouldn’t we stop her before she does something the day we go back?”

“I wouldn’t worry about what’s going to happen when we get back from break,” Chloe says with a sigh, “As a matter of fact, you have more important things to worry about. Have Jean fetch me some coffee from downstairs. And have them use  _ almond  _ milk. I don’t know  _ where  _ they’ve been sourcing their regular milk, but they might as well rename it  _ gagging juice _ .”

It’s typically easy to do as Chloe says, no matter how bad Sabrina feels about it. But after seeing Lila and Fleur walk off, the gears in their minds turning as they plotted their next scheme, Sabrina can’t help but worry. How Chloe could remain apathetic was beyond her.

Sabrina couldn’t help but worry if this would be forever. If Chloe would continue to remain apathetic, and if she would continue to go along with it. At first, the consistency was assuring, but as she thinks about the rest of her life going forward, it’s nightmarish in nature.

And Sabrina knows she can’t handle that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear the next chapter is *not* an interlude.
> 
> Well, I can't wait to incorporate my take on an episode that was originally meant for another AU, but ended up in this one, in the next chapter! Although the act I'm looking forward to next is Act V, Act IV has been on my mind for a while.


	17. Autophobia

Breaks are bittersweet. Just as quickly as summer had come, it had also gone. It was worse with fall break. Before Marinette knows it, it is time to start worrying about school again, including any number of exams, upcoming projects, and the impending results of their interview. She just barely manages to schedule herself enough spare time the night before break ends, allowing herself to finish up working on a section of her Tsurugi Show collection.

She managed to finish half of her pieces and send them to Tomoe for approval. There were only three outfits left, but there was also only a month or so left before the show. And with Kitty Section looking to play their next single at the show, they were also hoping to release it that night, which meant artwork for promotion purposes.

Unfortunately, exams would be coming soon enough. And Hawkmoth took advantage of any number of kids getting too anxious over their scores, which meant multiple akumas during the break. Having three new permanent members made clean up a lot easier, but it also ate into a lot of their work time. Marinette couldn’t help but worry if it would affect the band being able to release their single in time for the show, despite Luka’s reassurances that they had everything under control. Jagged and Penny were pretty laid back, but even they would start to notice that things were getting a bit unusual with their disappearances. 

“It’ll be okay, Marinette,” Tikki assures her, as she finishes getting ready for school, “Hawkmoth may be feeling confident now, but I have a feeling he’s going to be making a real mistake in his cockiness. Take it easy when it can, and I’ll help you keep a lookout while we’re going through your exams.”

“Thanks, Tikki,” Marinette says, giving her a pat on the head. She had to admit, lately she felt much more in tune with her kwami, as if Tikki had been more closely paying attention to their surroundings and reading Marinette’s expressions. Perhaps she had been taking some cues from Luka, or put more thought into her advice.

Kagami, Ivan, Rose and Juleka are waiting for her in the locker room, all greeting her with tired smiles and yawns (mostly from Rose and Ivan). She even catches a rare smile from Kagami, who she notices is far more comfortable standing with the rest of Kitty Section. Almost as if on cue, she receives a message from Luka, giving her by the far the happiest of the greetings. They all take a moment to chat before heading to their classroom. On their way over, they just run into Alya, who seems a bit out of breath.

“Hey. Rough morning, huh?” Marinette asks.

“Yes,” she says, letting out a sigh, “I got a bit caught up on an article I was working on last night. I’ll catch up with you later.”

With a brief way goodbye, they part ways.

“Ugh, I can’t believe we have exams soon,” Rose grumbles as they enter the classroom, “It still feels like the school year just started.”

“Time  _ does  _ tend to fly when you keep busy,” Kagami replies, taking her seat next to Marinette, “You spent most of your time rehearsing, correct?”

“Well, we had the interview at the Institute,” Rose begins, “And yeah, there were rehearsals pretty much every day. Jules and I went out to look over the canals one night, but otherwise, we studied, so it’s not like we didn’t do  _ any  _ prep. I just don’t think it’s going to cut it for this exam.  _ Ugh _ .” 

“I’m afraid I must concur. I had to spend most of my time practicing for my next tournament. Of course, I spent whatever leftover time I had studying, but…”

Biting her lip, Kagami averts her gaze.

“What is it?”

“Well, my mother was thinking of sending me back to Japan to attend a prestigious high school.”

“Are you worried about your grades? I’m sure you’ll do just fine, Kagami, I’m envious of how focused you are when it comes to our lectures.”

“It’s not that,” Kagami sighs, “I was thinking that perhap the school I would like to attend was still here in Paris. I’ve never stopped to look around and consider other options, but I don’t think I’m ready to leave this city yet. There’s still so much to see and learn…”

Her lips curve into a soft smile, one that Marinette finds all too familiar. She herself often caught herself doing it when she daydreamed.

“You know what? Maybe we can get together during lunch break for the rest of the week, and cram in a little extra studying,” Marinette points out, “Since all our after school schedules are so packed, this will probably be the only time we all get to see each other. Oh, and you know what? Let me text Alya and Nino while I’m at it.”

Hastily, she sends off a message, hoping that Ms. Bustier hadn’t started rollcall quite yet. Thankfully, she receives a text back just as quickly as she sent hers off.

_ A: sounds gr8! me n Nino will meet u n caf, walk 2 lib 2gthr _

“This is so exciting!” Rose exclaims, “I can’t wait for-”

She nearly falls to the ground as a despondent-looking Felix passes them on his way up to his seat.

“Oh, I’m sorry!”

“My apologies.”

Marinette is taken quite off-guard by Felix’s apology, as the two blondes look at each other for a moment, realizing what had been said. After an awkward pause, Rose scuttles to her seat as Felix quietly settles into his. 

She has seen Felix any number of times between the party and their break, and yet, he had been rather quiet since the party. But every time she  _ does  _ see him, she cannot help but think of how his last conversation at the party had gone.

\--

_ Truth be told, she didn't entirely retreat after retrieving the akuma. Part of her was grossly curious about what Felix had in mind for Kagami and Luka, and if it would cast further light onto his motives. Certainly, the fact that he talked Adrien into near akumatization would not be forgotten so easily, especially, judging by his reaction, it appeared to be intentional. _

_ “I hope you’re proud of yourself,” Kagami huffs, “You nearly got him akumatized, just because you felt like being right and embarrassing someone.” _

_ “I assure you, I didn’t mean to go  _ that  _ far,” Felix sighs, “But I think everyone needed to hear that. Besides, weren’t you upset when he brushed you off for Lila? Despite him clearly not wanting to spend time with her?”  _

_ “That’s neither here nor there,” Kagami argues, “It’s not as if you did that for me or for him. You did all of this for  _ yourself _.” _

_ “Oh? Whatever do you mean?” _

_ “I mean, I  _ know  _ your sort. I know that you’re the type that only cares about showing off how smart and clever you are by embarrassing others.” _

_ “But I’m not wrong, am I? You must have seen by now that my cousin…  _ struggles  _ with enforcing his boundaries. He allows anyone slightly more intimidating in nature to walk all over him, even if it majorly discomforts him. One way or another, he  _ has  _ to learn not to be such a doormat.” _

If only he knew about him being Chat Noir _ , Ladybug thinks to herself. But as the thought passes through her mind, she finds it rather sad. The only time Adrien felt comfortable asserting himself in any capacity was when he was in disguise. And upon asserting himself, he continuously violated her own boundaries and demanded more of her than she was willing to give. Despite her attempts to hold him accountable, he continued to press and press her. _

_ Adrien’s biggest problem was refusing to set his own boundaries. Chat’s was refusing to respect  _ her’s. _ And it was no wonder why this was; Adrien had ultimately learned that being assertive, or aggressive, was more likely to get you what you wanted, whether anyone else liked it or not. As Chat, he didn’t have to worry about Gabriel punishing him, or Chloe or Lila touching him. Even his own teammates weren’t able to get through to him. _

_ So Ladybug doesn’t think that Felix is wrong in his assertion. She had seen this behavior too often to think otherwise.  _

_ But the way Felix approached the situation was just  _ wrong _.  _

“ _ Maybe you should teach him instead of embarrassing him for it,” Luka finally says, “That is,  _ if _ you actually care about helping him.” _

_ “Why should  _ I  _ have to take responsibility for it?” _

_ Luka shrugs. “Well. Then I guess you really  _ don’t  _ care about helping him. Thankfully,” Luka gives a nod in the direction in which Nino headed toward, “It seems like someone else  _ does _.” _

_ With that, Luka heads off, with Kagami giving him a moment to walk out the door, before speaking again. “I don’t know why you’re so hung up about my problems, but I  _ do  _ know you only care about making them about you and how you’re right. Personally, I’m done with people trying to hijack my emotional crises for their own enjoyment. Lest you forget, I was akumatized because of that  _ liar  _ the last time that happened.” _

_ “Very bold of you to compare me to Lila Rossi.” _

_ “Seeing as your own words nearly led someone you were supposed to care about to the same state, yes, I suppose I am. And for that matter, I ought to be comparing you to Hawkmoth as well.” _

This  _ comment causes Felix to falter. “That’s not true.” _

_ “You can deny it all you want, if it’ll make you feel better. But I have no time to baby your ego. I have people waiting out there that I would rather spend time with.” _

_ Briskly turning on her heel, Kagami walks out the door of the mansion, without a care in the world. For a moment, Ladybug studies Felix, how he simply stands there with clenched fists. She becomes alert again for another potential akuma. _

_ But one never does. _

_ Instead, she makes out a series of mumbles. _

_ “I will not be like that liar or megalomaniac,” he repeats, again and again. And when she’s certain he’s not in danger of being akumatized, she leaves the building, transforms back and finds her friends again. _

\--

Of course, Felix hadn’t  _ entirely  _ changed since the incident. He still had the tendency to allow his unfiltered comments slip, and he didn’t look entirely sorry about them. Still, he didn’t appear to be looming over every conversation Marinette had with her friends (or at the very least, he appeared more subtle about it), or questioning her so intensely at every opportunity. She’s not entirely sure he’s backed off though, but puts the thought at the back of her mind for the time being.

Lunch rolls around soon enough, with the group deciding to eat lunch together on campus before doing a group study session together. 

Looking around the cafeteria, Marinette finds no sign of Alya, or even Nino for that matter. Sabrina sits in the corner with a concerned looking Fleur, with Lila unusually absent. Aurore, Mirielle and Colette are in the opposite corner, talking with some of the other students in their class. It’s not until she catches Alix and Mylene by themselves at a table, giving her a concerned glance, that she thinks that something might be wrong.

“Hey, Alix, Mylene. Have either of you seen Alya or Nino?” Marinette asks.

Mylene gulps and looks to Alix, earning a sigh in return.

“What’s with that look? Did something happen?”

Alix arches an eyebrow, “Didn’t you guys hear? Alya got expelled because she stole the answers to our exams.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two published chapters in less than a week of each other? Surely, it's a Christmas miracle. 
> 
> Well, I don't think I'll be able to get another chapter out just as quickly, but we'll see if we can get one more before the New Year. Otherwise, we'll be continuing this "Ladybug" storyline well into January. 
> 
> Happy Holidays everyone!


	18. Soteriophobia

For a moment, all anyone can do is gawk and regard Alix with absolute horror. Alya  _ expelled _ ? And for stealing test answers? Marinette quickly comes to the conclusion that this had to be some sort of set up. Alya  _ did  _ have the tendency to stick her nose into business that wasn’t hers, but she still had ethics. Cheating was an absolute  _ no _ , and especially considering that she was trying to repair her family relationships, Alya would have had no motive to do something like this.

“That’s not all, apparently,” Mylene adds quietly, “Apparently, she stole stuff from you guys, and Lila as well. And on the way to the office, she pushed Lila down a flight of stairs, pretty badly hurting her wrist.”

“That’s not true!” Rose objects, clutching her fists, “Alya would never do anything like that!”

The shout races across the room, garnering everyone’s attention. Awkwardly, Rose clamps a hand over her mouth and tries to avoid everyone’s gaze. After a moment, the attention disappears, and everyone returns to their business. Juleka pats Rose on the back of her shoulder, as Rose attempts to bite back a sob. 

“She wouldn’t do anything like that,” Rose grumbles weakly.

Alix nods. “No one is disagreeing with that. We all think it’s a set up, but Ms. Bustier won’t listen to us. And there’s only one person who could take advantage of all this and would want to get Alya in major trouble.”

“Lila.”

Everyone freezes as Felix struts over, his face strangely expressionless. At the first hint of a mystery being around, Marinette would have figured a return to form for Felix. Instead, he looks oddly contemplative and tense. 

“What are  _ you  _ doing here?”

“I heard the rumors of Alya’s expulsion. I’m here to get to the real truth.”

Immediately, Marinette frowns. Though his expression makes it difficult to tell, she has no doubt in her mind that he has some sort of ulterior motive in mind. Would he expect Alya to pay him back with a favor later, and give him information about the heroes that she  _ didn’t  _ share with the blog? Or was it simply to one up her? And even if those things were the case, Marinette’s biggest question remained; should she trust him enough to allow him to try and help?

“Why would  _ you  _ want to help Alya?” Alix demands, crossing her arms over her chest, “I thought that you hated her.”

Felix snorts awkwardly, averting her gaze for a second.  _ That’s a rather  _ odd  _ reaction. _ “I don’t  _ hate  _ her. I’m just disappointed in her.”

“Wait, you mean about the Ladyblog?” Marinette asks.

“Very perceptive of you. Yes. I was an avid follower of the Ladyblog for the past year. I didn’t find it to be 100% useful, but it was the only constant source of news around the akumas I could find. When she started manipulating clips and posting false information, I was furious.”

_ Ah, that makes sense. Perhaps he was more of a fan than he’s letting on, and can’t let go of that initial disappointment _ .

“Still, I see that she’s making an effort to correct things,” he says, “And it’d be a shame to let that all go to waste because of Lila Rossi. And so, I am offering my services.”

_ Maybe this is his way of coming to terms with what happened, or trying to apologize _ . Biting her lip, she shakes the thought away. For now, at least, Felix seemed to be trying to put his best foot forward. Plus, they really needed to overthrow this expulsion before it permanently affected Alya’s record and chances of getting into her dream schools.

“Good, because I think we’ll need all the help we can get,” Marinette says, taking out her phone. After sending a brief message to Luka, informing him of the situation, she switches to the Surveillance Stuff app, “First thing we need to do is check to see if there’s any strange footage that came from our lockers. My guess is that if Lila was willing to tamper with Alya’s locker, she could have done the same to our stuff.”

“You have security cameras in your locker?” Alix frowns, “Damn, things really are getting bad around here, aren’t they?”

“After what we’ve been through for the past year?” Marinette points out, “You really can’t take your chances.”

Walking out of the cafeteria, Marinette rushes the group toward the locker room. During their brisk walk, Marinette has to send a group text announcing the cancellation of their midday study session. She knows that Kagami will be the most disappointed, but considering the situation, she’d be all too on board trying to get justice for Alya.

Upon arrival, Marinette opens her locker, investigating to see if anything had truly been taken or if the cameras had been tampered with. While her fake sketchbook was gone, the cameras are still thankfully in place, though she dabs at them with a cloth to keep them clean. When she’s done fussing, she pulls out her phone to consult the footage from the app. 

“Very intuitive,” Felix remarks, just as she opens the video “You know, my grandmother recently got some sort of security box for some important documents of hers. The designs you have on these look similar to hers.”

“I’m sure it’s a coincidence,” Marinette says, perhaps a bit too quickly, “I’m sure whoever the designer was had the same idea as me - to camouflage our security systems as much as possible.”

Judging by the curious, burning stare on his face, Felix doesn’t seem to agree with that sentiment. He’s become all too certain now of her role in his grandmother’s life, or at least, has a good grasp of what it might be.

Rose is the first to show her footage. Sure enough, “Alya” opens the locker door with a wicked smirk on her face, reaching inside and grabbing a set of Rose’s pens. It’s time stamped at around  _ 8:19 _ , which is about four minutes after they left to go to class. 

Marinette has no doubt in her mind that this had to be some sort of an imposter, most likely created as an akuma or maybe even an amok. Whoever was behind this had to have been watching them in the locker room before going to strike, and sent in the imposter when the coast was clear. Unfortunately, there didn’t appear to be any footage that could prove her right.

Ivan pulls out his phone next. The time stamp reads  _ 8:21 _ , so it must have taken place after the imposter broke into Rose’s locker. Sure enough, there’s some rummaging through his locker, and they end up taking a beaten up notebook, slamming the door shut without much of a care in the world.

Juleka’s footage is timestamped for  _ 8:23 _ , and there is far more footage of the imposter rummaging through her stuff.  _ Likely thinks that the most damning or important stuff would be her own. _

Finally, Marinette pulls out her own footage, with the stamp being placed at  _ 8:26 _ . The most surprising factor, however, is the amount of footage. It is by far the longest of the videos, clocking in at a whopping five minutes and forty-two seconds. Surely, if this had been the actual Alya, she would have been late for class. 

“Long shot, but do either of you know if Alya was late for class today?”

“Later than she normally would have arrived, but she still made it before the bell,” Alix points out, “Hell,  _ Ms _ .  _ Bustier  _ was late to class. She saw Alya in the classroom. The fact that we have footage of Alya in your lockers around the same time means that  _ something  _ is up.”

“We should get Alya’s footage as well,” Felix muses, “Have her send it to one of you, and compare the timestamps. Once we have an idea of the timeline, we can ask around and see if anyone else saw her.”

“Come to think of it,” Marinette points out, “We should try to figure out what happened with Lila too. Do either of you know where she was this morning?”

“I try  _ not  _ to be involved with her,” Alix retorts, “ _ But _ , she  _ was  _ late to class today. She  _ just  _ got in before Ms. Bustier.”

Mylene adds, “This isn’t good. This isn’t just Lila attempting to make Alya look bad and get her expelled. If that imposter is an ally of Hawkmoth’s, Lila could get into a whole lot of trouble for teaming up with a supervillain.”

“That’s if we can prove that the Alya in those clips is an imposter,” Juleka grumbles, “It won’t be enough to just say a bunch of people saw her in class when we have footage of her here. We need proof that she was set up.”

“Proof that she was set up, huh? I think I can arrange for something like that.”

To everyone’s surprise, Chloe stands in front of the group, Sabrina accompanying her, looking smug as ever. Immediately, Marinette did not like the way things were starting to play out, especially in her mind,with Chloe in the picture. 

“ _ You  _ happen to have evidence that could clear Alya Cesaire?” Felix asks, studying her with a hard glare, “Supposing it’s credible, I have to ask, what’s your personal vendetta against Lila Rossi? I thought the two of you were friends.”

“Oh, Felix, it’s a bit more complicated than that. Though I suppose you wouldn’t know anything about that, now would you?”

Upon hearing the comment, Marinette swears she sees Felix cringe, ever so subtly biting into his lip. She’s not sure if Chloe saw it, but if she did, then even Chloe could figure out how much it bothered him. The worst part is that Marinette can’t decide if she thought the comment was well-deserved, or if it went too far.

Pushing that question to the back of her mind, Marinette instead asks, “What sort of information do you have?”

“Check your phone and see for yourself.”

Sure enough, moments after she says this, a notification for a text message pops up on Marinette’s screen, sharing a video. The thumbnail shows Alya and Adrien in the hallway, walking to class, clearly unaware that they were being followed down the halls.

“ _ So, uh, how was your break?”  _ Adrien asks, looking rather nervous, and scratching the back of his head _. _

_ “It was fine. I was busy doing interviews with my schools of choice, mostly. After that, it was updating the Ladyblog and studying with Nino.” _

_ “Oh. I wish I could have joined you guys.” _

_ “Just send us a message next time. I’m sure Nino wouldn’t mind.” _

_ “Yeah, but my dad would. He’s been more strict about me leaving the house ever since… the summer.” _

_ “We can just do it over video call. Surely, your dad wouldn’t complain about us  _ studying _ without you having to leave the house, or us having to come over?” _

_ “I’m sure he would still find a way, but he’d lose his case.”  _ The two of them stop walking for a second. _ “Um, there’s something else I’d like to ask you about. Could we maybe talk later, like after lunch?” _

_ “I’m supposed to meet Marinette and some other people to study.’  _ It’s difficult to tell since their backs are now turned to the camera, but Adrien freezes up at the sound of her name.  _ “Am I to assume that she has something to do with it?” _

He hesitates for a moment.  _ “Y-Yeah… I think I really messed up.” _

_ “Well, you wouldn’t have been the first one. If you can’t meet me after school, we can video chat and try to sort it out. But I can’t promise you I can fix everything.” _

Another pause.  _ “Hopefully,  _ I  _ can. _ ”

The two of them enter the classroom. The clip goes on for a bit longer, with Adrien going over to consult Nino, but the person filming takes no real interest in the conversation. Instead, it lingers over Lila as she enters the classroom, strangely out of breath despite not running her way inside.

The video cuts off there, leaving everyone a bit stunned.

“Sounds like there’s another mystery that needs to be solved,” Felix remarks under his breath, “But putting that aside, am I to assume that you two were tailing Adrien and Alya because you knew that Lila would set Alya up?”

“Well,  _ obviously _ ,” Chloe retorts, “Furthermore, check this out.”

Dangling from her fingers is what looks to be like the fox miraculous - a necklace . There’s a distinctive difference though, that any wielder would recognize immediately, and that was the fact that when dormant, the miraculous would appear dull and gray. This one was proudly orange with a white tip, which meant that  _ someone  _ knew what the miraculous looked like, and made another one like it.

“Now, as the daughter of the world’s most famous fashion critic, who is quite close to  _ the  _ Gabriel Agreste,” Chloe states, tossing her hair over her shoulder, “I can tell you that  _ this  _ is not a family heirloom, like Lila claimed. This happens to be a piece of jewelry designed by Gabriel himself.”

“How did you even get this?” Alix asks, studying it with a hard glare.

“That’s nothing you need to concern yourself over.”

Looking at the back of it, Marinette sees a small set of initials written in neat cursive -  _ G.A. _ She’s not sure how she missed something like this before, considering just how  _ familiar  _ the necklace looked. More importantly, she wonders what Chloe would be getting out of helping all of them.

“Why are you helping us?” Marinette asks, “I thought you hated Alya. Wouldn’t getting rid of her help you?”

“Well, I was originally just going to sit back and let Lila do her thing. I was curious to see how things would play out,” Chloe says with a yawn, “But I was rather…  _ disappointed _ . So many easily disprovable lies. If she was going to set someone up, I would think she would have done it properly. And besides,” she retorts, “I don’t  _ hate  _ Cesaire.’

She’s not sure how to respond to that. Chloe not hating  _ anyone _ ? That was difficult to believe, but she hardly had the time to debate that. So instead, she asked the next thing that came to mind. “May I take a picture of this?”

“Sure, I guess.”

She snaps the photo quickly and sends it off to Luka.

_ M: I need to talk to you about this later.  _

“You know what’s weird though?” Ivan asks, “That looks like Rena Rouge’s miraculous. Why would Lila have that?”

“Well, it’s obvious she’s a wannabe,” Chloe huffs, “Besides, this isn’t a real miraculous. It would only look like this if the kwami was inside to power it. The user would be transformed.”

“Yeah, we know that,” Juleka murmurs under her breath.

“What was that?” Chloe asks, raising an eyebrow.

Rose quickly intervenes, “What she meant was that she thinks that it makes sense, especially after we saw you transform at the Agreste fashion show!” she giggles a little bit. Chloe doesn’t seem to notice her nervousness, but judging by his raised eyebrows, Felix absolutely does.  _ Another issue we’ll have to sort out later _ , Marinette thinks to herself. 

Seeing as the Gabriel necklace was an almost perfect replica of the fox miraculous, there is no doubt in her mind that he has seen the inside of the book. She had no reason to believe that he had any way of being able to read the book, however, but she couldn’t help but worry about what he might have seen and what he might have concluded from his observations. If he and Hawkmoth were separate people, there was still the chance that Hawkmoth would have been able to decipher parts of the book.

_ More importantly _ , she wonders to herself,  _ how long has this necklace been available? _ Was it actually a present like Lila suggested, or was it simply available for sale one day? Pulling out her phone and doing a quick search of the internet shows that the necklace was for sale in a shop in Paris, owned by one Darcy Reil.

Furthermore, checking the Gabriel Agreste website revealed that it had been a part of the collection two years ago, the collection prior to him having her own hat modeled.

_ So he must have known about it for a while _ .  _ Then there’s no doubt about it - Gabriel Agreste is definitely connected to Hawkmoth. I wonder if he isn’t going to plan something out for the day of the Tsurugi Textile Show. Master Fu ought to know this information, and then we should form a plan. _

At that moment, Marinette’s phone pings, notifying her of a message from Alya. Attached is a clip from the inside of her locker. The footage reveals something rather strange - both the imposter Alya  _ and  _ Lila reaching inside of Alya’s locker, and planting the fake necklace inside

“There’s only one thing though,” Marinette points out, “We don’t have any evidence proving that Alya didn’t push Lila down the stairs. It’s just her word versus Lila’s.”

“If they’re still foolish to believe anything that Lila has to say,” Felix sighs, “Then I have a series of questions that will slap them silly with common sense.”

“What’s this about slapping?”

Everyone turns to come face to face with a clueless Adrien. At the sight of his clueless face, Marinette feels her stomach clench instinctively, and she moves a little closer to Rose and Juleka, hoping to hide herself. She realizes that it’s rather silly of her, but she can still feel a bubble of anger boiling inside of her looking at him.

“Goodness, Adrien, taking things I say out of context,” Felix huffs, “Although I suppose that this is excellent timing. You spoke with Alya this morning, did you not?”

“Yeah. It’s really weird that she stole those test answers. I didn’t think she would do something like that.”

“That’s because she  _ wouldn’t _ ,” Marinette says, folding her arms across her chest, “And she  _ didn’t _ . We have proof.”

Adrien’s eyes nearly pop out of their sockets as he watches the footage, especially when he sees Lila. Marinette can see him clearly add two and two together in his head, and figure out what really happened.

“So as you can see, Lila didn’t just set Alya up,” Felix says.

Adrien cuts him off and continues, “She likely teamed up with Hawkmoth. That  _ has  _ to be an akuma she’s working with.”

“Not necessarily,” Ivan points out, “She could have teamed up with that new villain and worked with an amok. We saw an amok be created as a carbon copy of our friend a while back.”

“We know from new coverage that the villain responsible for the amoks is helping with Hawkmoth,” Felix muses, “So it doesn’t really matter which one she’s working with.”

From the corner of her eye, Marinette catches Chloe slumping a bit, her gaze averting the rest of the group. A moment later, she blinks and returns her attention to the group, as though nothing had happened.

“I know that Lila isn’t as pleasant as she makes herself out to be,” Mylene exclaims, “But I still can’t believe she would go out of her way to team up with supervillains! What could she possibly hope to gain from all that?”

“I can think of a few things,” Chloe utters in a quiet voice, “But it doesn’t really matter either way, does it?”

It comes to Marinette’s attention just what Chloe is thinking about. Though her thoughts turned bitter whenever she thought of Chloe, how she had been as both a civilian and a superhero, and everything she had ever done to hurt people, she couldn’t help but admit that Chloe definitely carried guilt with her. Perhaps she was tracing this very incident back to when she had been akumatized into Miracle Queen, or at the very least, she drew parallels.

Whatever the case, the former Queen Bee and Chat Noir were now helping her. She’d make sure to make the most of the opportunity.

\--

With all their evidence gathered (and the break period unfortunately wasted due to the investigation), Marinette and the others summon Ms. Bustier to Mr. Damocle’s office, ready to present their findings. She’s surprised to see further cooperation from Adrien and Chloe, but she doesn’t remark upon it. 

“Miss Bustier, Principal Damocles, thank you for coming here on such short notice. My colleagues and I are here today because we heard of Alya Cesaire’s expulsion, and are prepared not only to protest it, but prove that she was set up.”

Alix and Juleka snort at the use of the word “colleagues” and to be honest, Marinette finds it a bit excessive as well. 

“That’s a mighty bold statement, Mr. Vanily,” Mr. Damocles hums, “It’s my understanding that you weren’t even in the classroom or could have seen anything to prove that it happened.”

“Yes, which is why I took it under myself to investigate. Something I’m convinced that  _ neither  _ of you two did.”

Both of them look rather offended, and for a moment, Marinette can’t help but feel for them. As frustrated as she was with Ms. Bustier, she didn’t think his tone of voice was warranted. Still, he  _ was  _ right in that it seemed rather quick of them to simply expel Alya without properly checking Lila’s claims, considering the reputation she garnered lately. 

“Mr. Vanily, it’s rather rude to speak to us like that,” Mr. Damocles chides, “I’m sure your mother would be upset to hear you talk like that.”

“Well, my mother isn’t here right now,” Felix points, “However, my great-grandmother  _ is  _ available to speak with, and I’m sure if she knew about the circumstances, she’d be more than happy to hear that I was investigating such an injustice and misuse of power.”

“Regardless, Felix,” Ms. Bustier says, a wide smile plastered across her face, “You ought to be careful about what you say. We wouldn’t want anyone else getting into trouble today, now would we?”

“Considering that someone’s academic record is at risk, that’s a chance I’m willing to take,” Felix huffs, “Now, let us begin with a testimony from Adrien here.”

He stands up, looking a bit sheepish, “Mr. Damocles, I want to apologize for not saying anything earlier. I wasn’t aware that the thefts happened around the same time that I talked to Alya, but I can assure you that when I spoke with her this morning, she didn’t seem unusual or jumpy. If she had something to hide, she would have acted more suspicious, and she was normal all morning. She was even surprised when she saw the test answers in her bag, so they must have been planted by someone.”

“But who would do such a thing?” Ms. Bustier asks.

Marinette fights the urge to facepalm.

They show off the five clips of “Alya” breaking into the lockers and either stealing stuff, or rummaging through and creating chaos. Felix makes a point to state the timestamp of the video, and give enough proper context for the two to understand what was going on. More importantly, he stresses the first clip.

“And where exactly did you get this footage, Mr. Vanily?” Mr. Damocles asks, after they finish showing him all of the clips.

“It’s from us,” Marinette intervenes, “We had quite a few incidents last year, Mr. Damocles, with people breaking into lockers and stealing or vandalizing our stuff. I was offered, by a friend, a prototype camera that links with an app, that can watch your stuff while you’re away.”

“ _ Ahem _ , I’m right here, you know,” Chloe huffs.

“I wasn’t going to mention you by name, but thank you for making my point.”

Ms. Bustier shares a concerned glance with Mr. Damocles. With furrowed eyebrows and a firm frown, Marinette can already tell without either one of them having to say anything that they aren’t pleased with this arrangement, and that sooner or later, the two of them will try to put some sort of measure in place to ban their cameras. 

“If you look at all the footage minus her own, it indeed would appear that Alya is breaking into their lockers to steal their personal belongings,” Felix states, “However, when you look at Alya’s footage, which comes first in the timeline, Lila also  _ happens  _ to appear there, and just take a look at that expression,” Felix zooms in on her face, “Does this happen to read as the expression of someone innocent to you, Mr. Damocles?”

Clearing his throat, he says, “Well, no, not really. But an expression isn’t really enough for me to undo an expulsion.”

“Perhaps Lila was just acting to catch Alya in the act,” Ms. Bustier offers up, “Maybe she had a tip?”

Marinette at this point absolutely wants to scream her head off. Did Ms. Bustier really live in her own world? Alya may not have been a perfect angel, but if she had actually paid attention to the student she had been teaching the previous year, she would have known that Alya had a sense of ethics and morals that wouldn’t allow her from getting herself into a situation like this. She may have crossed the line a few times, but this certainly wouldn’t be one of those times. Anyone who logically looked at that footage would have a few questions for Lila regarding her take on the story.

“Ahem, if anyone had a tip, that would happen to be  _ me _ ,” Chloe huffs, “Lila told me prior to coming back to break that she wanted to get back at Cesaire. Sabrina can vouch for me.”

Sabrina, who remained awfully quiet the entire time, nodded her head. “It’s true. When Alya corrected Lila’s story on her blog, Lila was furious because it ruined her reputation. She figured she could one-up that, so even though she didn’t tell us what the plan would be, she let us know she was working on something.”

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner, then?” Mr. Damocles asks, raising an eyebrow, “You could have spared us all this drama, Ms. Raincomprix.” 

“She  _ just  _ said she had no idea of what her plan was going to be,” Chloe points out, “I had to make sure she was going to follow-up on it. After all, it’s hard to take anything she has to say seriously. Anything except threats, apparently. And more importantly,” she says, giving Ms. Bustier a hard stare, “I’d like to point out that our  _ teacher  _ here thought it was important to share Lila’s grades with us, when she was condemning Cesaire in the middle of class.”

_ This  _ seems to catch Mr. Damocles’ attention. “Is this true, Ms. Bustier?”

“I didn’t  _ share  _ Lila’s grades with the class,” she says, seeming immediately offended, “I was simply saying that Lila couldn’t have been the one to take the answers for the test, because she had been testing poorly. I’m sure that to stay out of trouble with her parents, and bring her grades back up, Alya would have been the one to take the answers.”

“Wait, wouldn’t that mean Lila would have a motive to set up Alya, then?” Marinette asks, “Or barring that, wouldn’t Lila have just as much motive to take the answers for herself?”

“And furthermore, you’re still sharing that Lila is doing poorly in your class,” Mr. Damocles remarks, “That’s in gross violation with our students’ rights to privacy.”

She gawks, her face turning a faint shade of pink. “Mr. Damocles, I swear that this is all just a mistake-”

“No, it seems  _ our _ mistake was jumping to this conclusion all too quickly. We need to summon Ms. Rossi into our office right away, and re-evaluate this entire situation.”

Moments later, a slightly dazed Lila enters the office, looking more scared than a rabbit realizing it was about to be some predator’s dinner. She gawks at the number of people in the room, but more importantly, seems relieved at the presence of Chloe, if only for a moment. 

“Mr. Damocles, is something the matter? Why are all these people here?”

“Ms. Rossi, it seems that there are a few holes in your story concerning today’s events.”

“A  _ few? _ ” Chloe retorts, “I’d say the story is nothing  _ but  _ holes, Mr. Damocles.”

At this, Lila begins to gawk yet again.

“M-Mr. Damocles,” she sniffs, grasping her right wrist, “I don’t really know if I can do this right now. I’m still shocked after Alya pushed me down the stairs, and I really need to rest my wrist. Not to mention, head is still spinning. I don’t think I can handle so many people talking!”

“Interesting,” Felix retorts, “You’re in  _ that  _ much pain, and yet, no one thought to call for an ambulance or advanced medical care? No one thought to let you leave school early? Did anyone even bother to bring her to the nurse’s office?” he shakes his head, “Mr. Damocles, if my mother heard of the shoddy treatment that this school has for medical care, she would fly in all the way from Milan and give you the longest-winded lecture of your life.”

“W-Well, goodness, Felix,” Lila says, “I didn’t need to go to the hospital! It’s not  _ that  _ bad!”

“You were  _ supposedly _ pushed down the stairs, and hit your head,” Felix retorts, “You’re telling me you can just  _ brush off  _ that sort of injury? Especially, if say, you hit your head. Do you understand how serious a concussion can be?”

“Mr. Vanily, I’ll handle the questioning from here,” Mr. Damocles interrupts, “That being said, he does make a fair point, Ms. Rossi. We really ought to have send you to the nurse’s office to be examined. As a matter of fact, I’ll summon her now while I call your mother-”

“N-No, that’s not necessary!” Lila protests.

“Oh? That’s rather suspicious. I mean, certainly your mother would want you to know what happened to you, and have you checked out, wouldn’t she?” Felix asks, “Especially if she heard you hit your head or broke a bone in your body.”

“My mother happens to be an incredibly important diplomat working on resolving world peace! She’s in a very urgent meeting right now and can’t be bothered to-”

“That’s  _ enough _ ,” Mr. Damocles roars, pinching the bridge of his nose, “I can’t believe all this. I’m calling and having a word with your mother,  _ immediately _ , Ms. Rossi! Diplomat or not, your mother needs to be made aware of the situation that has unfurled! This has gone on for far too long!”

The rest of them are ushered out of the office, and urged to head back to their respective classrooms. 

“I think it’s fair to say that Alya will be reinstated,” Felix remarks, looking carefree enough to act as if the whole incident never occurred in the first place, “And that Lila’s reign of terror will finally come to an end.”

“You say that as though you lived through the majority of it,” Juleka retorts, tossing a piece of her hair over her shoulder, “Besides, how do we know that she won’t try to turn the tables on us?”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Chloe says with a flip of her hair, “I made sure to record our entire conversation back when she was plotting all of this. If she tries to wriggle her way out of this, she’s going to fail spectacularly.”

Beside her, Rose huffs, kicking at the ground. “I just don’t get it. I don’t understand how people could be so cruel and mean like that! If Lila wanted friends, she didn’t have to lie or manipulate people!”

“But that’s not what she wants,” Felix points out, “She’s the sort to thrive off chaos and attention. I can’t say I entirely blame her. There’s a thrill to it.”

“Come on, Felix, you can’t be saying you’re okay with what Lila did,” Adrien interrupts.

“Obviously not. If I thought she did nothing wrong or didn’t care, I wouldn’t have intervened, now would I?”

Averting his gaze to look down at his feet, Adrien glumly replies, “I guess not.”

Clearing her throat, Juleka interrupts, “What do you think they’ll do now? Surely, if they think Lila is working with Hawkmoth, they won’t just let her stay in Paris?”

“It’ll depend on what they find during their investigation,” Felix says, “If they have enough reason to believe that, she may be immediately evacuated out of the city, perhaps even the country. From what I understand, Hawkmoth’s akumas have all occurred within Paris, with a few exceptions.”

“Only two have happened outside of Paris,” Marinette offers, “They happened back in the summer, during a music event.”

“Yes, I heard about that. My theory is that Hawkmoth left the city during that time, or he used a double to cover his tracks.”

She hadn’t considered that last part. That there could have been more than one Hawkmoth, and perhaps Gabriel was one of them. But the possibility didn’t have enough evidence to be anything other than flimsy, and so she’d leave the idea alone for now.

“I just hope they find him soon,” Rose admits quietly, “Things have been getting worse lately, now that the amoks are showing up too.”

For a moment, Felix’s look of absolute confidence melts away. “I hope so as well.”

\--

By the end of the day, Alya’s expulsion is lifted, whereas a suspension is placed for both Lila and Fleur. Marinette suspects that Fleur’s actions will only allow for a temporary punishment, and she would be back in school in a matter of weeks. Lila, on the other hand, was undergoing a serious investigation into her school record, especially now that her mother was well-aware that Lila had been lying.

Despite this, Alya remains at home for the rest of the day, and Marinette decides to pay her a visit. Hopefully, things didn’t get too out of hand for her, and she would be able to talk.

When she knocks on the door, she hears a pair of feet quickly shuffle to respond and allow her in. “Marinette! Ah, I’m so glad to see you! I’m sorry about not being able to study today-”

“It’s alright,” Marinette sighs, “We’ll figure that out later. Maybe tomorrow afternoon, Lila won’t be able to plot ruining your life.”

“I can only hope,” Alya sighs, “I’m really glad you had those spare cameras for me. I don’t know how things would have gone if they weren’t there.”

“Funnily enough, I think we have Chloe to thank this time around,” Marinette admits, looking down at her feet, “She never did admit the reason she ended up helping us, but… I think in her own way, she’s trying to make up for what she did.”

“Pretty funny way of trying to fix things. But I guess it’d be weirder if Chloe did anything else,” Alya says.

“Whatever it is, I’m just glad we were able to get you back in school.” 

Though her eyes are tear-stained, Alya has the biggest smile on her face, especially as she throws her arms around Marinette.

“Thank you, Mari.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I've been really looking forward to the prompt of "What if Lila targeted Alya for expulsion instead of Marinette?" I originally came up with it for the Lilanette Childhood Friends AU, but figured that it would work well here too.
> 
> Well, there's a couple of chapters to follow the fall-out of this chaos, before we get to the next act, one that I've been looking forward to since this arc started. All I will say about it is that it's going to be inspired by the Buffy episode "Restless".


	19. Proditophobia

Marinette is grateful to the universe that, despite being called for on such short notice, both Marianne and Luka are able to arrange an impromptu meeting about the day’s events. She finds it even more comforting that Marianne managed to prepare a pot of tea in time for them to convene, and for her to take small sips and unwind, just a bit.

As she recaps the day’s events, Marinette takes special care to note Marianne’s expressions. The way her eyebrow quirks when she mentions Felix’s involvement, or how her lips press into a firm line as she recalls the hoops they had to jump through in order to convince them to overturn the expulsion. Not to mention the clicking of her tongue after understanding just how poorly the situation had been handled.

“Well,” Marianne sighs, pouring herself a cup of tea, “I’m glad to know that my grandson was able to help your friend. Perhaps my fears about him acting out while his mother were gone were misplaced, but I’m still worried about allowing him to know anything about the miraculouses, let alone investigate.”

The decision pulses inside of Marinette’s head. She had seen  _ some  _ change in Adrien, but who was to say that would last? As she thinks that, she can’t help but kick herself. She wishes it was as easy to forgive Adrien as it was Alya. But she can’t forget how he disregarded her feelings, tried to force her to act in ways he saw as “morally correct,” or how unimportant as a friend she felt to him. One moment such as today can’t forgive all that damage, and she hopes she’s not expected to do so.

“It has to be Felix,” Marinette says quietly, “He may be difficult to trust, but between him and his cousin, he hasn’t betrayed me.”

Luka gives her a long, contemplative look, but says nothing. Not that he needs to; they’ve been slowly perfecting the art of non-verbal communication. 

“Besides, there’s another problem. Chloe managed to get the ‘heirloom’ that Lila had, and it was an almost exact replica of the fox miraculous. A replica created by Gabriel Agreste, who could only have been able to make it from looking at the grimoire.”

Marianne frowns. “So he’s had the grimoire for a while now. When he first discovered it, he was likely intrigued by the designs of the miraculous and wanted to replicate it for his line.” Shaking her head, she sighs, “Not terribly creative for a designer, if you ask me.”

“We have more reason than ever to think that Gabriel Agreste is involved with the akumas. My question is…” she hesitates, “Should we ask for Felix’s help to figure out  _ how  _ he’s involved?”

Marianne’s eyes bulge, and if she had been holding anything, she most likely would have dropped it by now. 

“We’ve been having more and more reasons to suspect him of being involved,” Luka says, turning to look toward Marinette, “If you think Felix is trustworthy enough to get us more insight, I’m okay with giving it a shot.”

“You’re fine with trusting Felix with this knowledge?” Marianne asks, raising an eyebrow as she studies Luka.

“I trust Marinette,” Luka says with a smile, “If she thinks we can trust Felix, then yes, I’m willing to take the chance.”

“Very well. I’ll be monitoring him while he’s at home. If I think things are getting too out of hand with him, I’ll intervene. I just hope he doesn’t get in over his head.”

\--

To say she’s nervous is an understatement. If this were Hawkmoth, she would feel the ominous, strangling feeling as she walked into his lair. She would hear the eerie music that warned her to walk away from what she was about to do. 

But this isn’t Hawkmoth she’s approaching. It’s unpredictable, aloof Felix, who was just as likely to help them out because he was bored, as he was because he genuinely wanted to. 

Her only saving grace in this scenario was the possibility that Luka would be able to get a better read of him with his powers activated. Perhaps Sass would have valuable insight that they could have missed. Or, more likely, Felix wouldn’t have been as cacophonic in his emotional state.

“Ladybug and Viperion,” Felix greets coolly, “What an unexpected surprise. To what do I owe this visit?”

“Hello, Felix. We’ve been hearing about what happened today at your school, and how you helped overturn Alya’s expulsion.”

“You’re on a first name basis with the Ladyblogger?” Felix asks curiously, “That’s…  _ interesting _ .”

“I’ve done interviews with her in the past,” she answers quickly, “Besides, it feels strange to call her ‘the Ladyblogger.’ It feels  _ too  _ informal.”

“I see,” he says, quirking his eyebrow, “Yes, I was involved with that. I’m assuming you’re also aware of Lila Rossi’s involvement in everything?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I’m not entirely surprised that she retaliated after Alya corrected those articles and interviews, but I didn’t think she’d attempt to pull something like this,” Ladybug sighs, “I have to be honest with you. My sources were under the impression that you weren’t fond of Alya, or anyone really, so I’m surprised you wanted to help.”

“Oh, I had my own motivations, I can assure you, Ladybug,” Felix says, “I’m no do-gooder. Granted, I don’t particularly like Hawkmoth taking advantage of everyone the way he does. I would love nothing more than to figure out who he is. It’s a mystery that I’m dying to solve, but it’s really more about my curiosities. Actually, I’m surprised that you’re coming to me about all of this. Is there something I ought to know?”

“Let’s just put it this way,” Viperion explains, “People have been watching you since you’ve arrived in this city. They’re well aware of your interest in  _ certain  _ things. And they’ve been evaluating you to see where your priorities lie.”

“Especially when it comes to your family. Your uncle in particular is a concern,” Ladybug says.

“You think that Uncle Gabriel is involved with the Hawkmoth case?”

“We’re not quite sure, but we’ve seen him act rather suspiciously,” Viperion explains, “We got a tip that Gabriel was present at a music festival, at which two people were akumatized. We know that Hawkmoth has to be within close proximity for his akumatizations to work properly.”

“He  _ was  _ akumatized into The Collector,” Ladybug adds, “But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t be working  _ for  _ Hawkmoth, or that someone else could be sharing the mantle with him. He  _ does  _ have an unknown woman working for him.”

“I see what you mean. Very well. I wouldn’t mind poking around the old Agreste mansion and seeing what the old man has to hide,” Felix says, a smirk spreading across his face. “Of course, I know he won’t make it easy, but I have my work arounds. I’m sure you’re worried about the security he must have put into place, but that’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Despite it being Felix, Ladybug is still surprised by the amount of sheer confidence radiating from him. If he isn’t fond of Adrien, then she isn’t entirely sure she wants to know the depths of his feelings for his uncle, especially if they found out that he was a villain or accomplice. 

She bites her lip. “There’s something else we need to ask you. You need to leave your cousin out of this.”

As they anticipated, Felix furrows his eyebrows and tilts his head to the side, studying them. “Not that I was intending to, but why, pray tell, must I do that?”

She’s practiced reciting the answer to him, and yet she still finds herself at a loss for words. She’s eternally thankful when Viperion catches on and answers for her. “We’re aware that he’s particularly…  _ sensitive _ . He might be upset at the mere suspicion that his father could be working for or involved with Hawkmoth.”

“That  _ does  _ sound like him,” Felix hums, turning his gaze away from them for a few moments. “I’ll admit, I do like the idea of secretly helping you two and him not knowing anything about it.”

“Do… you not like your cousin?” Ladybug asks tentatively.

He’s quiet for a moment, and from the glance in his eye, Ladybug can tell that he’s attempting to be diplomatic in his tone. “We used to get along better.”

That doesn’t tell her much of anything, but perhaps it’s for the best that she didn’t dig further into the issue. So long as he’s not planning on using the situation to his advantage in order to exact revenge, there isn’t reason to worry over it.

And she really hopes that it’s not the case.

“I won’t press you about the matter, but I have one last request. Whatever your issue with your cousin is, there are better ways of confronting him about it. You don’t need to resort to crowding him and calling him out in front of his friends to make your point.”

He doesn’t say anything in response to this, but he gives her an oddly contemplative, if somewhat annoyed look. Finally, he settles on giving her a nod, as though he will consider other motions.

“Thank you. We’ll be checking in on you soon.”

\--

They take a small detour on their way back, Ladybug using the time to really clear her head. Despite how well things had gone, her mind couldn’t entirely be put at ease. Realizing she could no longer put it off, she stops on a roof, Viperion following suit.

“Were you able to get a better read on him this time?” she asks.

“Yeah. His vibes weren’t soothing or anything, but I didn’t get the sense that he was lying about anything that he said.”

Nodding, she curls her lips inward. While Felix was still up in the air in terms of complete trustworthiness, the day’s events also had her think again about revealing identities. The band in general worked great as a unit, and everyone was quick to come to Alya’s aid. 

But as much as she wants to believe that Lila’s punishment would lead to the end of trouble for the time being, she had a feeling that this was just the beginning of a new scheme by Hawkmoth. There was no doubt left in her mind now that things needed to be properly coordinated to accommodate for such an event.

“Something else on your mind?” he asks.

“Yeah,” she sighs, “I’m thinking that certain things need to change. Let’s speak to Master Fu and Marianne.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Hope you're all staying healthy and well. Things are a bit rough on my end but will hopefully be okay going forward.
> 
> A lot of stuff is coming up in these next few chapters, I'm not sure which part I'm looking forward to the most.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the final arc of "The One to Make It Stay". We are starting this arc off with an interlude this time around. Going forward, the interludes will be included in this collection, rather than in "Paper," for an easier reading experience. Once the entire story, including the epilogue, is completed, the story will be re-released as one single collection, rather than a bunch of little ones.


End file.
